Winter's Summer
by Lunar Froxy
Summary: Frost decided to take a trip to Rio with Bia and family, but what kind of mayhem might happened when Frost meet the heat of Rio? The first Sequel of Love's Eternal Light.
1. Thrive

Chapter 1  
Thrive

The city of _Rio de Janeiro_ was bustling with activities from humans and other species alike; the city was so alive with humans and birds of multiple colors. I wasn't expecting myself to be here, in fact, never crossed in my mind that I would one day leave behind the Amazon and saw the world, but – Well, here I am, perching on a platform from Bia's home. Sure, the city was loud, hot and filled with creepy humans, but aside from that, it was indeed paradise.

* * *

Summers had finally arrived in the Amazon – or should I say in entire Brazil – Technically speaking.

Bia was asking me to go with her family on a trip to Rio which I was eager to do, except for some minor problem. First, I never left my home further than the infirmary is located, so I'm started to gain a mixed feelings about the trip, excited – Sure I am but also quite nervous. While the second problem was quite difficult, My Mom wasn't exactly fond of the idea, even after I convinced her for the – I don't know, tenth times?

And even today, she wasn't going to make it any easy for me.

"Frost, are you really sure you want to do this? This might be dangerous."

I nodded. "Yes mom, we have talked about this, I'll be fine."

"But _Rio_ is a human city, you know what humans can do to you?"

"Not all of them are bad mom, just look at what they do to me." I pointed my scar. "If it wasn't for them, I probably lose my eye."

She sighed. "Still, I wasn't enjoying the idea that you will go somewhere really far from home."

"Mom, I wasn't alone, Blu and Jewel will be there to make sure nothing wrong will happen to me." I walked closer to her. "Besides, I wasn't a chick anymore."

She fixed her soft gaze to mine. "That's what I'm afraid of; you grow so fast, it seems just yesterday you were a noisy chick and now." She chuckled. "You already grow into an independent bird, ready to leave home and go somewhere far."

Her action and words plucked the strings in my heart. "Aw Mom, I won't be go away forever. I'll be back before you know it, I promise."

"You better, and try to go home without a scratch this time. That scar is enough."

I put my wing to my head, making a saluted movement. "Yes Ma'am!"

She laughed at my act. "Okay, off you go now, they probably getting bored of waiting."

I hugged her for the last time before joining Bia's family outside.

" _Por favor, mantê-lo seguro!_ " My Mom exclaimed, waving her wing. **[Please keep him safe!]**

" _Claro, Luna! não se preocupe!_ " Jewel replied. **[Of course, Luna! Don't worry!]**

The sun was shining brightly today, and the vast blue sky was clear as crystal, no clouds on sight, it was a perfect day to start a journey. Carla was lost in her iPod music, wearing a device that called _earphones._ Bia told me that it was the same thing as the iPod speaker, only allowing the users to listen their song on a private level. While Tiago was… being Tiago, he was flying upside down. So far, I haven't yet reached any conclusion to understand him – It amused me really.

Bia was sightseeing, occasionally lifted her book, looking for some information as something intrigued her pops up. I made my way to her, she seemed too caught in her study until she wasn't aware of my presence.

"Morning Bia."

She turned her head, smile formed in her beautiful face. "Morning Frost! Ready for adventure?"

"I was born ready, Beatriz."

She chuckled. "Sure you are."

Blu turned his gaze towards me. "Are you forgetting something Frost?"

"Nope I'm good."

He nodded. "Okay gang let's move."

"Bye Mom!" I bid her a last farewell.

"Safe travel Frost!"

We were flying to the entrance of the village where Eduardo and Mimi greeted our departure.

"Hi pop-pop! Hi Aunt Mimi!" The three siblings exclaimed in unison.

While Mimi was enthusiastic to greet her grand-cousin, Eduardo only flashed a smile to them. "Look at you, the little bundle has grown up already."

Eduardo then flew closer to me, his presence made me gulped in nervous.

"So you decided to go with them? That's good. Just like your father, he always wants to see the world out there." He told me.

"Um… yeah, I was thinking maybe this trip can expand my horizon, especially my way of thinking."

He put his wing on my shoulder. "Your father will be proud of you." He said before flew towards Blu and Jewel.

 _I never know my father but seems everyone else know him. Oh well, maybe next time. I didn't want to ruin this trip._

While Tiago, Bia and Carla were having a chit chat with their aunt, I flew closer to Blu and Jewel, listening their conversation with Eduardo.

"…Rio last summer and we are just fine." Jewel stated, I lost some portion of their conversation.

"There's nothing I can do to stop you doing this don't I?"

"Don't worry sir, I'll make sure everything will run smoothly." Blu said.

Jewel then shot Bia a smirk, before looking at me. "Besides dad, I'm sure Bia want to introduce her boyfriend to her uncle's."

"Mom!" Bia exclaimed, her face grew red, while I was groaning.

Carla and Tiago were laughing at the occasion. "Okay then, when we are going?"

"Okay dad, we are leaving now." Jewel then hugged her father.

"Safe travel!" Eduardo and Mimi said in unison.

"We will!"

With that, we finally leave the village behind and head straight to Rio.

Blu told me that we would pass several human cities on the road. _Manaus, Brasilia_ and _Bahia_ before finally arrived at our destination, Rio.

The entrance of the village slowly dispersed into the jungle foliage as we flew further from it. Blu then motioned us to fly above the tree canopy; we carefully pierced through the canopy, eyes critical on such danger like snakes. Fortunately, not a single branch bore their presence. We were soon above the tree height, the once green and detailed jungle slowly transformed into a vast gigantic mat of green, stretching from one end to another end, the famous Amazon River rivaled the size of the said mat.

It was a sight I could never imagine I saw, the Mother Nature was sure mighty and beautiful, and such humble bird as I, could only awe with her glory.

Blu was taking us southeast from the canopy, he then ordered us to form the 'V' shaped flight formation, as he stated that it would eased the long flight from here to Rio.

I was in the lost of words, everything so far was amazing, I always thinking that the world was huge but never crossed in my mind that it would be _this_ big. The horizon was endless, and every direction was free, thanks to the unobstructed view from the air.

The Amazon jungle soon replaced with the massive river, and I saw something on it. Some kind of human made – Well it is human made, and it floated slowly in the water.

"It's called a _boat_ ; humans use them to travel by water. Pretty neat, we spent our first night to Amazon on it."

I nodded my head. "It seems nice."

"Yeah." Bia then shot a look on Tiago. "Although I wasn't get much sleep, thanks to that horn Tiago."

"I swear it wasn't me!" He denied. "You guys never going to believe me."

"Then who is it Tiago?"

"Well… I don't know! It wasn't me I swear!"

"Okay, enough you two." Jewel declared.

While those two siblings exchanged looks, Carla wasn't exactly aware on what happened as she was lost in her music. I gotta admit that Carla voice was amazing, one of the best singer in the jungle probably her, after Roberto of course.

The sight once again replaced by another one, this one it wasn't green or blue. It was _colorful_.

Multiple humans were crowded the site, there was also numerous boats were sit idly, unmoved.

"Well here we are, our first destination, _Manaus dock,_ the gateway to in and out of the Amazon." Blu declared.

Slowly all things on the site were revealed as we approaching the dock. My eyes were caught in the sight of numerous fruits I was alien with, their vibrant color whispering to me to get them.

"Okay gang, we will get ourselves some lunch before continuing to Brasilia tomorrow." Blu landed on the platform of the docking boat.

I was too caught up with my thought until I didn't realize they have already landed. I kept flying forward, hitting a pole that existed not far.

My head was throbbing, the moment I opened my eyes, I saw a frightening set of sharp teeth. Surprised, I squawked loudly. Alerting my presence to nearby humans, some of them look puzzled while others didn't even bother to take a glance.

The stall owner was surprised by my sudden squawk, rushing to saw what happened.

" _Arara? Spix arara? Meus deus!_ " **[a macaw? Spix macaw? Oh my!]**

He walked towards me, before finally realized why I was squawking.

" _Não se preocupe meu amigo!_ _Não é um_ _autêntico_ _piranha_ " He then picked one of the piranhas, showing me **. [Don't worry my friend! It's not a real piranha]**

I backed down as he kept pushing the piranhas to my face; he then furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

" _Você não gosta de piranhas?_ " He then shrugged before returning to his stall, leaving me alone, dumbfounded. **[You don't like piranhas?]**

 _What in the whole wide world he was talking? Ugh…_

Bia's family soon flew down where I was located, amused looks on their face.

"Yeah, just laugh." I said sarcastically. Laughter then erupted from them, my soul finally tickled by my own act, joining their laugh.

"You seriously didn't know what he was talking?" Jewel asked, perplexed by such revelation.

"I can say that I don't. I never learn that kind of language."

"That's weird, your mom can speak Portuguese really well, and didn't she teach you?"

"Um… She is just busy… you know…" Blu then cut me middle sentences.

"Hey guys, what do you want for lunch?"

"I vote for mango!"

"Me too." Carla joined Tiago.

"Me three!"

"Okay then mango it is." Blu declared. "Now let's find some of them."

We soared into the market skyline traffic, birds of multiple species were crowded the site. Blu was asking multiple humans for mango, motioning the food with his talon. The result wasn't really good, as many of them were scowling or trying to get us lost, finally one of them was kind enough to give us some.

Blu was asking three mangos for us, but after seeing just how crowded we were, she gave us a generous bonus.

" _Obrigada!_ " Jewel cawed.

" _De nada!_ "

We were flying somewhere quiet to enjoy the lunch, the mango itself – I must said, quite delicious. It was evenly sweet and sour, although I didn't really like sour that much, but it still delicious.

After ditching the seeds to the ground, we continued our flight to Rio. Approaching the center of Manaus, the majestic building of human's began to manifest, their size was seriously huge, the trees in the Amazon were ants compared to this gigantic structure, as human never ceased to amaze me with their creation.

The city even more crowded with humans than the market, there's a lot of multi-colored _vehicle_ that sped up in the streets, humans walking, talking, and the building was rich of colors. The only setback was the air, as we dwell deeper into the heart of the city, the air began to lose it "Freshness", replaced with stale smoky air.

The sun finally decided to take a rest under the clouds, and soon the dark angry clouds shrouded the city, leaving the city on its mercy. We flew faster than before to seek shelter; fortunately, there was some tree in the vicinity that bore some hollow. We charged to the nearby trees as the rain finally start to fall, droplets of freezing water started to fell for the sky, damping our feathers in the process.

The rain lasted until evening, the sun already set in the horizon, marking the end of the day. We decided to stay in this hollow; it was quite spacious for seven birds at the size of Carla – No offense – So cramming six birds wasn't a tough job.

I was the last one to sleep; the air was freezing thanks to recent rain. Bia and Carla were sleeping in the corner, Tiago was snoring – Just like Blu and Jewel was cuddling closely with him.

The mere sight was enough to make me smile.

 _What a lovely couple. I hope one day I will just like them._

Returning my eyes to the sky, watching the stars slowly move as the night got older, the crescent moon were shinning dimly in the sky, concealed by the clouds.

I was snapped out of my own thought when someone nudged me from behind. Bia was standing behind me, rubbing her eyes before sitting next to me.

"You haven't sleep?" She inquired.

I shook my head. "Nope, just want to watch the night sky for a moment."

"You really like stars do you?"

"Yeah, it's where my dad is watching me. I always say goodnight to him before sleep."

"You really missed your dad that badly huh?"

"Well yes, but with you on my side, I know I wasn't alone anymore." I told her, wrapping my wings around her.

She leaned closer, our beaks meet each other, and we share a kiss. The night melted as we lost into each other, after a full minute, we break our kiss.

"I love you." She said softly, cuddling closely as she drifted into slumber.

Smiling, I said. "Love you too, Beatriz."

* * *

The yellow orb finally rose from its sleep, giving the world a new day to thrive for. I was the second-one to wake, Jewel was already out there at the outer branch, enjoying the tranquil morning. Bia was still sleeping soundly beside me, she put her wings on her head, acted like pillow. I slowly get myself free, hoping my act wasn't going to wake her up before gingerly walked towards the entrance, where the golden ray of sun was slowly made its way into the deeper section of the hollow.

"Morning Jewel." I greeted her.

"Oh morning Frost." She greeted back. "You woke early."

"I always woke this early."

"That's a good thing, Blu always woke up late." She chuckled.

"Well he was working hard yesterday; opening the wind tunnel sure wasn't easy." I said, suppressing a yawn.

"You were just like Bia and Blu." She chuckled again. "Always live in fact and knowledge."

I blushed at her comment. Carla then appeared from the hollow, stifling a yawn. "Morning Mom! Morning Frost."

"Morning." We said in unison.

Her presence soon followed by her siblings. Bia was the second Tiago the last, no evidence that Blu had awaked.

"Morning all!" Tiago exclaimed, as energy never really drained of him.

"Morning Mom, Morning Carla, Morning Frost." Bia stated. "Oh and Morning Tiago."

The greetings were repeated until all family member awakened. The once silence morning soon replaced with familiar bustling noise of the city, as the sun hue finally dispersed and replaced with its monotonous yellow light.

We took breakfast at the local _park_ ; some of the trees turn out to be Açaí berries. The obsidian-colored orb were abundance in number, our breakfast was filled with purple stain, not to mention Tiago's prank earlier which he started a berry war much to Jewel's displeasure. After cleaning ourselves at the nearby birdbath, we continued our journey to Brasilia

My journey was more than just travelling with Bia, sure _she_ was indeed my main reason to go. To have courage and face the unknown, but after a few days of the journey, I started to understand a bigger picture than just hopping from one spot to another. Life is so beautiful and grand to be filled with monotonous activity that slowly took toll on us. It's like seeing behind a curtain of leaf in the dense foliage of a jungle. There may be danger behind that curtain, we have any right to be oblivious with whatever hidden behind but for how long? How long we will avoid it?

Gained a new experience in live is very essential, you stumbled, you fall, you cry, you rise, you try again and succeed. But it is only a distant dreams if you just thinking about it as breaking out from our comfort zone sure is a stupid idea – Even it is not.

Like when Blu told me to take the lead in the formation in Brasilia. I wasn't prepared for what was going to happen but I just tried it. It wasn't easy, as we fly quite high to catch up the wind, I almost knocked out of the sky, luckily Blu managed to catch me.

When you wish to live the fullest, don't be afraid to do anything. Just do what you want as you never know the outcome before you try, and remember that failure wasn't the end, it's just the start of something great. As we thrive each day.

* * *

The magnificent city of Rio de Janeiro finally came into stroke focus, I was stunned on how it looks, while some other cities like Brasilia or Bahia sure was amazing, Rio was beyond words.

The sun was set in the vast area covered with water and sand. _Beach_ was what it was called. The golden tint was reflected with the water, creating a nirvana of color with its rich vibrant golden beam. Tinting the dark sky with hues, it was too magnificent to describe with words.

The majestic statue of _Cristo Redentor_ slowly manifested from afar, I was stunned on how big it was, compared to the statue in previous city. The lush green hills that shadowed by the night sky were vast. The city was alive with lights and activity. The sensory attack that overloads every sense I had could only described with one words. "Wow…"

"Ha, see?! what did I tell you?" Tiago was laughing with my response.

"This is truly paradise." I told him.

"You haven't seen anything yet Frost!" Tiago exclaimed.

Blu then signaled us to banked left, and soon after. A warm sight of a birdhouse began to appear as we flew closer to it.

"Home sweet home." Carla said. "Now I can charge my iPod."

We descend into the platform of the birdhouse; drowsiness had got its grasp on everybody.

I stifled a yawn, folding my wing before stretching my body from prolonged flight. Blu decided to take an easy dinner, much to Jewel's displeasure. He returned briefly with a _can_ of Brazil nuts in his talon.

"Here kids, after you guys eat, we will straight to bet. I suppose all of you are tired anyways."

"I am not!" Tiago soared, which replied with five birds rolling their eyes, including mine.

The Brazil nuts in that _thing_ were tasted different, they are too _salty._

The dinner was lasted no more than ten minutes – Approximately, and after that, we said each other good night and finally get some rest.

* * *

I was awoken in the middle of the night, rubbing my sore beak and belly as Tiago suddenly dreamt as a _ninja_. I walked myself out of the room to gained view of this paradise, enjoying the night. The prospect of snoozing peacefully that night was out of the question, since after received a few punches and kicks from Tiago; I know I'm going to be much drained tomorrow.

* * *

 ** _A/N: The first chapter hath arrived!  
_**

 ** _and I want to ask help from someone that can speak Portuguese and English to teach me Portuguese, as you see in this story, my Portuguese wasn't good (Well sorta, I don't know)_**

 ** _PS: Please kindly leave a review and Thanks for reading._**


	2. Brother

Chapter 2  
Brother

The sun was high in the sky when I finally snapped out from my fantasy world into the real world. It was the greatest dream ever; I rubbed my eyes in hope to gain my focus, the colors of my surroundings finally came into focus, revealing another macaw that hadn't yet woke up.

It was very unlikely for Frost to stay asleep this late, as for the last few days, he usually the first – if not Mom – to wake up. My sisters' voices were nowhere within my range of hearing, so I decided to go out, before suddenly Dad poking his head of my entrance.

"Morning Tiago!" He greeted, his face then turned in utter confusion. "Odd, Frost hasn't yet wake?"

"Maybe he is just tired, he did take the lead yesterday." I mused. "Uhm should we wake him up?"

Dad shook his head, but before he could speak, Frost stirred and broke free from his dreamscape. Our conversation had involuntary woke him up. He then rubbed his eyes to gain focus on us, but weariness were obvious present in his body.

"It's morning already?" He inquired, tiredness clear in his eyes.

"It's more like mid-day rather than morning Frost." Blu stated.

"Um okay I'm up I'm up." He said, stifling a yawn.

Dad then told us to go the kitchen where breakfast was prepared; I was gleeful at first, knowing that usually if we took breakfast in the kitchen, it was either pancakes or waffles.

I soared faster than ever to the kitchen, leaving Frost behind. As the idea of pancakes or waffles really excites me, those meals were among my favorites, and since Amazon didn't have the ingredients, I was craving their delight for months.

But my mood soon lost as I saw a couple of bananas and oranges on the kitchen counter. Bia, as usual, buried in her book while Carla and Mom enjoying a soccer match on TV.

Frost was lagging behind, something just seems wrong with him today, as sleep last night wasn't rejuvenating him completely.

"Morning Tiago." Mom finally noticed my arrival, her greetings soon followed by my siblings.

Bia soon notice too that something was wrong with Frost, she put down her book and rushed to him. "Are you okay? You seems really tired."

He shook his head, forming a reassurance smile in his face. "Nah, I'm okay."

My sister didn't look convinced. "You sure?"

"Positive." He then fluttered to the counter. "So what you guys get for breakfast?"

"That's what you want huh? Eat? Just like Tiago." Carla quipped, chuckling.

"Uh right…" He grew red under his periwinkle feather. "Sorry. Morning everybody."

"Morning" We said in unison. Mom and Bia were chortled at his quirky attitude.

A thought quickly entered my mind. "So mom! What are we going to do today?"

"Well, we might want to visit your uncles first."

Carla was excited with the news. "Really? Yes! I missed them a lot."

Despite my high mood, my stomach wasn't going to cooperate without its daily sustenance, and it wasn't shy to announce its protest.

"Go get breakfast first." Mom chuckled.

I grabbed one of the bananas and offered it to Frost; he accepted it half-asleep. "Thanks Tiago."

I was just started to take my first bite on the fruit when Mom asked me.

"Tiago, where's your Dad?"

"Uh, I thought he was following us behind earlier."

Dad then arrived seconds later, revealing a bad news.

"Kids, your Mom and I are going to Tulio for a while, so I want you to stay here."

"But we were going to see Uncle Pedro and Nico."

"Well that visit should wait for a while Tiago." Dad stated.

"I think we can go by ourselves just fine."

"No Tiago, it's too dangerous out there, and you can get lost easily."

I wasn't happy, not at all. "But…"

"No buts Tiago." He said, sighing.

"It's not fair, I wasn't a chick anymore. Come on Dad!"

"Tiago Gunderson, listen to your father." Mom stated firmly, her gaze sternly directed at me.

"Ugh fine." I sighing in defeat.

"We'll be home as fast as we can, so you guys stay here okay?" Dad was trying his best to sound calm. "I hate to ruin your day kids, but there are other things you can do while we were gone for a while."

"And please, don't do anything funny okay?"

"Affirmative." Bia exclaimed.

"Of course." Carla said.

"Tiago?" Mom asked.

"Yes…" I said, half-heartedly.

"Good, we'll be home soon, see you around kids." With that, they soared into the sky, their presence soon faded.

I wasn't happy with that, today was too perfect to only spent in this place.

Carla was offering me to watch the soccer; one of my favorite sport, and also the Brazilian culture, courtesy to Bia.

With nothing more I could do, I sat beside her and finished my breakfast. The game proved to be uplifting, as I remembered the game we played in the Amazon – precisely pit of doom.

Originally called "war" by the tribes, now it was a fun sport to play with. Especially with uncle Beto, his skills in soccer were amazing.

The heat from the game lifted my bad mood. The tactic they used to maintain lead against the opposing team was cleverly arranged, I was thrilled to use one of them later if I had a chance when we were back from Rio.

The annual games in the Amazon usually started as the celebration on the success of driving those loggers away from the Amazon; this time of year, I would surely participate and showed my skills.

My high spirits were kept, even as the game finally ended. "Whew that's a good game don't you think?'

"Certainly Tiago, if you don't mind, I'm going back to my room now, my iPod started to get lonely." She said.

I shrugged. "Sure."

Her departure soon filled the room with agonizing silence and boredom. Frost had fall asleep since the start of the game; he even yet finished his meal. I paced back and forth to cease boredom as my mind started to seek something, but none were coming nonetheless.

I made my way to the kitchen window, staring the blue spotless sky with high spirits. The air was pleasant and the sun's ray wasn't as hostile as Rio usually offer, moments like this was sure perfect to do some activity. I could do some adventure in the jungle or just fly by.

 _Well flying around here sure isn't a trouble, right?_

I flapped my wings in steady rhythm before soaring to the sky, feeling the Rio's breeze ruffling my plumage. A young scarlet macaw suddenly appeared in the sky, his attitude was challenging me into a race.

I remembered the lessons Frost taught me to fly fast, gaining advantages of the said knowledge, the scarlet macaw was left behind far away. He tried to outpace me with all his might, sadly his efforts were in vain as he started to slow down, straining his wing in the process.

He then approached me. " _Você e veloz_!" **[You are fast!]**

Smiling, I replied. " _Obrigado_!"

"How did you do that?"

"Just my skills." I boasted.

" _Meu nome e Rico_." He said, extended his wing.

" _Tiago."_ I reached his wing.

His voice were rich accented. "Say _amigo,_ do you want another race?"

"Oh you are on!" I said, fulfilling his wish.

We were racing quite far this time, and of course, I won by a landslide – as if I ever lose.

I bid him a farewell before rushing back to my home, hoping my parents weren't yet home or aware the lack of my presence. My hope was answered when their presence was nowhere in sight. Sighing, I made my way into the counter, my belly already craving for another meal.

A bowl of assorted fruit were taunting me to attack them, Bia then arrived with Carla, for the same reason.

Bia then noticed Frost hasn't yet awaked since, confused. "What happened to him? He wasn't exactly like this before."

"Maybe we should wake him, it's already past mid-day." Carla stated.

"Nah let's just let him rest." Bia urged.

Fernando then burst up into the kitchen, we squawked a greeting as this was the first time we saw him.

"Oh hello there! You guys are back again this year?" Fernando cheered, he then spotted Frost.

"Who is this?"

Bia flew closer to Frost, motioning him with her wing before pointing at herself.

Fernando quickly got the point. "Your boyfriend huh?" my sister nodded her head.

Fernando was smiling "Congrats Bia!"

Bia then motioning a 'silent' gesture, before pointing once more at Frost.

"Oh right, sorry." He whispered. "Well guys, just squawk if you need anything." He then grabbed an apple before leaving the room.

Carla stifled a laugh. "Way to go Beatriz, how cute."

"Ugh sis, please stop that." She huffed, although I could see her blush.

Carla kept grinning teasingly while I prepared to eat my lunch. Grabbing the star fruit in the bowl, I savored every bit of the fruit in my mouth; the taste was sweet and watery, and I felt refreshed already.

We relaxed a bit after finished our lunch, let it slide for a moment in our belly; the meal had provided me with more energy, but Mom and Dad hadn't yet returned.

Carla and Bia were returned to their room, and once again, I was left out without anything to do. My head was turning its gear on, searching for something fun, but it was proved futile as none of the idea hit my head.

I finally decided to visit my sisters – although I'm heading straight to Bia as Carla would never hear me coming. Bia usually had some fancy books, like the pop-up book last time before we lost it in the Amazon.

I fluttered to our treetop residence, landing on the metal rim, where Bia's room was located. Poking my head through the openings, I saw her reading a book, " _Plants of Amazonia_ " the title boasted.

"Hey sis, watcha doing?"

She then realized my presence. "Oh hey Tiago, I was reading this part of the orchids that blooms in the Amazon," She then flipping her book to me, pointing about the orchid.

The book's representation of the said species was incredible, although it didn't have pop-up, still, the vibrant colors of the orchids were stunning.

Bia then resumed her reading, I was sitting next to her, trying to overcome boredom with her books. Unfortunately, I wasn't really a bookish macaw; I could never understand how Bia could spend an entire day reading that _boring_ stuff.

My boredom had reached its limit at the sixth page of the book, yawning, I left her room and fluttered down to my parent's room. It was then when something caught my eyes, Dad's fanny pack. A grin soon formed in my beak as I recalled what were contained, and my mischievous mind had already planned a prank, my target: Frost.

* * *

He hadn't yet awaked when I arrived at the kitchen, I gingerly walked beside him, avoid to wake him up and blow up my pranks. He was really oblivious on what's happening to him, as he had snored peacefully since this morning. Slowly, I lifted the whistle, sucking as much air as my lungs allowed me to, before blowing it to the whistle as I braced my ear for the strain.

 _PHFRITTTT!_

Frost was jolted awake by the sudden noise, his eyes widened in shock as he frantically looking for grip on the counter, as consciousness wasn't fully present within him. I was grinning with my success, although the grin soon ceased and replaced with a grimaced looks as he neared the edge of the counter, slipped and fallen into the kitchen floor with meaty thud.

He grunted in pain, muttering something under his breath. The whistle's noise reached my sister's ear as she appeared on the window, looking disbelief with what she saw.

Bia quickly rushing to Frost, asking him if he was okay. He was still laid on the floor, unable to move.

Carla was the second one to arrived, and with the whistle in my talon, I knew I couldn't avoid the stern glare I would receive from my siblings.

"Tiago! What are you doing?" Bia yelled, furious.

"I'm…"

"You are so dead Tiago!" Carla exclaimed.

Fernando was also alerted by the whistle, burst into the room to see the commotion. He was surprised to see Frost on the floor, as Frost's face bore a pained looks.

"Well… what happened?" he asked.

Carla pointed me with her feather, I quickly tried to hide the whistle, but Fernando already saw it.

"That's not very nice." Fernando stated. "I'll grab some pillow." He then went out the room.

Frost finally gained consciousness. "Ugh what happened? My body really hurts."

He whimpered as he tried to wake from the ground. "That never happened before."

"Frost, you probably best to lie down for a while." Bia calmed.

Guilt started its attack in my heart. I wasn't prepared for this, I wasn't aiming for such outcome, and now, he probably hated me.

I fluttered down to the floor, walking slowly as I hung my head in shame. My sisters' gaze was terrifying.

"Frost, I'm sorry…" I said.

He was puzzled by my apology. "For what?"

"I'm the one blow the whistle." I admitted, dreading the outcome.

He said nothing, starring at the kitchen ceilings. Fernando then returned with a pillow in his hand.

"Here use this." He offered the pillow.

Frost were struggling to stand up, but managed to do that anyway. He looked at me, asking. "Why?"

I was too afraid to make an eye contact with him, his scar was sure menacing. "I'm just… you know… I got bored so…"

He sighed before setting himself on the soft cushion, easing his pain slightly.

My dread came into its full capacity when I heard my parents' voice from the outside. They swiftly entered the kitchen before alerted on what really happened here.

Dad looked confused, and mom no other, Carla then told them what happened, the moment she finished her story, I know what I was going to get.

"You did what?!" Dad exclaimed.

"It was an accident." I countered.

"An accident?! You blew that whistle on purpose, and that is not 'accident' Tiago!"

"But I…"

"No buts Tiago, what you did is wrong, say your sorry mister." Mom said firmly, her gaze spoke _"You better mean it."_

"Frost, I'm sorry." I said.

He wasn't pressing any issue further, either because he was just like that that or he was trying to save me from my trouble. "That's fine Tiago."

Fernando then informed his parents the occasion, Tulio quickly rushed to Frost and studied his condition, and Linda was also concerned by his state.

Tulio then announced the condition of Frost, "He is fine, thankfully, just a sore muscle after the fall, although it's best to keep him rested."

The news was greeted with a grand sigh of relief from the entire family.

I was happy with the news, as I would never forgive myself if something was happening to him, just because of my stupid pranks.

Mom and Dad shot me a look that said. _"You are in trouble, we need to talk."_

After getting Frost into my room, my whole family gathered in the kitchen, discussing my action earlier.

"Now mister, what's gotten into you? Why did you do that?" Mom asked.

"I wasn't planning that far, honest." I sighed. "I was just bored."

"That wasn't an excuse Tiago."

"Well if we went to meet uncle Pedro and Nico, not all of this would have happened." I huffed, avoiding to put all the blame on myself.

"Tiago! That's not…" Mom's scold was cut by Dad.

"Okay, I'm sorry for that. But that's not a reason you can act like that." He admitted, sighing. "You should know that startling _sleeping_ people was inappropriate."

"And I'm sincerely sorry to take your time today, but Tulio's matter was more important, so I'm sorry too." He said.

His words softened my demeanor, a guilt also manifested within my heart. "I'm sorry too. I wasn't really thinking."

"It's not us you should apologize Tiago, although Frost probably getting bored of hearing your sorry." Dad chuckled.

I smiled at his warm response. "Yes, I will."

"But you should know better next time when to pranks and the outcome of such act, okay?" Mom inquired.

"Yeah, I'm maybe getting overboard with Frost, I promise I won't do that again."

"Good." She nodded. "Now let's not bring this up again okay, I hate to ruin our vacation because a little tiny accident."

"Can't argue with that." Carla stated. "So what are we going to do today?"

"Um… I don't think we could do anything for now, we can't just leave Frost alone…"

"You can stay with him if you want to." Carla quipped, which Bia replied with a groan.

The whole family joined the laugh.

* * *

I finally back on my room after dinner. Frost was surprisingly fast to recover as he was able to join us for dinner. I was still troubled with his presence – not that I hated him, but more like guilt that still lingered in my soul, He wasn't showing any much expression towards me, acting as nothing had happened.

The night was quite hot, as for Rio, It wasn't something weird; the seawater scented the air as the night breeze blown into the city, and the sound of people singing could be heard in the distance. Nonetheless, I was tired.

Regaining the opportunity to spend time alone with him, I expressed my apologies _again_. He replied with a smile.

"That's the fourth time you say that Tiago, It's okay. I'm fine."

"You sure?"

"Yes, It's kinda my fault too that I was asleep all day." He then added. "You probably were getting bored."

"Why you sleep all day? You seem so tired today."

"Oh, yeah that… It's you." He admitted.

"Huh?"

"You were dreaming _intensely_ yesterday, as you fight some kind of monster of something, and well, hitting me." He then added." It wasn't hurt, but it sure kept me from fall asleep."

I was embarrassed by the revelation. "Sorry."

He laughed. "That's fine Tiago, although please don't dream anything weird again okay?"

"I'll try!" I said.

"You guys don't mind?" Carla finally bothered with our noise.

We laughed before finally drifting back into the dreamscape, waiting for tomorrow.

For the both macaw, they finally gained mutual respect from each other, forging their friendship into a whole new level. They might not be siblings in blood, but that is not the point.

Family, the meaning of a family isn't someone who related by blood, you won't believe the number of people fight with each other even they were brothers and sisters. The chain that binds a family is Love, as love itself is universal.

The chain will surely test by time, but as long as Love is the chain, the calamity that will come over them, either disastrous or mere turbulences; will never yield to the strain, therefore strengthen it as opposed shattering it to pieces, because they will reconcile, stand together, all in the name of love.

Just like Blu said. _Birds of blue feathers, Have to stick together._

* * *

 ** _A/N: Whew sorry guys for the late update, my PC derped up and I need to fixed it, thankfully the data wasn't lost._  
**

 ** _Please kindly leave a review and thanks for reading._**


	3. Colors

Chapter 3  
Colors

Another day had arrived in the fabulous city of Rio de Janeiro. Jewel was still sleeping soundly beside me, her wings enveloping my body. She was mumbling something in her dream, and her beak curved a smile. The mere sight was enough to start my day; my lovely mate had never failed to cherish me.

I gingerly readjusted her wing to break free, hoping my efforts would not wake her up. My persistence was paid off as she didn't even flinch after I broke from her embrace and heading straight to the entrance of our room. Another macaw already woke up and perching on the edge of the platform, his wings were opened halfway, enjoying the tranquil morning.

The sky wasn't pleasant as usual this morning, the dark angry clouds were replaced where the usual yellow orb should had been, leaving the city of Rio with a gloomy atmosphere.

Frost wasn't even bother to preen himself; he was so lost with the ambient Nirvana, the cool breeze ruffled his periwinkle plumage, and by the looks of it, he was more rejuvenated than yesterday.

I finally decided to declare my presence, breaking him out of the trance. "Morning there, Frost."

He opened his eyes, turning his head to saw me. "Morning Blu." He said calmly.

"I take it you slept well last night?"

"Like a hatchling," He stated.

Bia and Carla finally emerged from their room, attempted to regain focus on the real world. They fluttered down to the platform, greeted us softly, in respect of other family member that hadn't yet woke up.

"Morning dad, morning Frost." My eldest daughter declared, which repeated by her younger siblings.

We greeted them back as a loud ear-splitting, thunderous boom cleaved the tranquil morning, awakened the entire family in an instant.

Jewel finally rose from her slumber, thanks to the recent thunder. She stifled a yawn when she finally came out from our room. Her beak formed a lovely smile, greeted us, "Morning everyone."

Her greetings were replied by the entire flock, Carla then stated. "Not everyone actually," She paused, "but soon."

Her prediction was correct, in a matter of seconds, a concentrated bundle of energy appeared with a chaotic looks, as he was dreaming some kind of adventure from the far away land.

"Morning everyone!" my youngest child exclaimed.

"Morning Tiago!" We said in unison.

Carla and Bia had just started to preen themselves when the sky finally gave up. Fat and freezing droplets from the rain was attacking us relentlessly, we decided to seek shelter on the kitchen. Linda and Tulio weren't anywhere on sight.

"Dad! Can we get pancakes please?!" Tiago begged. "We hadn't eaten them for like – forever!"

"I gotta agree with him." Carla stated.

"Count me too, I miss their flavor."

Jewel didn't really like the idea. "Kids, we have talked about…"

"But Mom! We haven't eaten them in the Amazon for months!" Tiago begged. "Dad kinda promised us pancakes too when we were back."

"What?" Jewel shot me a stern looks.

 _Cheese and sprinkles! I've sparked her anger, great._

"Now honey, I think it's fine for kids to just enjoy some little pancakes for our vacation. It's not harmful." I said. "Besides, I believe Frost never taste any pancakes."

"What's a pancake?" Frost inquired.

"You haven't tried, you haven't lived." Tiago smiled, he then refocused his stare to Jewel. "Please Mom!"

At the sight of four puppy dog's eyes, I know she couldn't contemplate any further. "Ugh fine, but don't expect something like this will happen frequently."

"Thanks Mom!" Tiago exclaimed. "Okay come on dad! I've craving them for months!"

"Whoa, easy there little birds." I chuckled at his enthusiasm. "I'll take the ingredients first."

With all the ingredients finally obtained, I began to heat up pan, while I was preparing the batter. After estimated the appropriate time for the pan to be heated, I pour the batter onto the metal pan; the batter's sizzling sound was muffled by the rain outside. It fiercely drummed the hardy roof of the house, almost in deafening intensity.

I took a mental calculation on how long the pancakes would reach its perfect state, lifting the said meal with the spatula to saw the perfect golden-yellowish color, a mark that signifying it was cooked perfectly; before flipped it over, cooking the other side.

My family was looking for something else to do while breakfast was being prepared; Bia was looking at the ingredients content, while the rest of them were caught by the enchanted TV broadcast.

"Did you know that these pancakes are highly nutritious, there are a lot of vitamins and minerals you required to start the day?" Bia said, dropping fact as usual, much to Frost bewilderment.

Carla took notice of Frost puzzled looks quipped. "Oh Bia, looks like you broke Frost, _Again._ "

The first pancakes finally cooked with perfection, I let it slide onto a nearby plate, pouring another spoonful batter into the pan. Tiago was restless as he realized the first pancakes was prepared, like a jaguar that stalk his prey, he never casted his eyes away from the bountiful meal.

I only cooked stack five as Jewel wasn't really like pancakes, she preferred starve to death rather than ate a pancake. "Okay everyone, breakfast is served!" I announced.

Tiago was the first one to claim the scrumptious treats, attacking the pancakes vigorously, reducing the pancakes into nothing in seconds. His beak was stained with the whipped cream as he patted his belly, running his tongue across his beak to savor the remaining bits of the pancakes.

"He is… something I told you." Jewel chuckled.

I scratched my head in confusion. "Yeah…"

Bia and Carla was just half-way of their meal when Tiago requested another one, they were more conscious to act properly than their youngest sibling.

Frost slowly take the first bite of the said pancakes, his eyes were widened in delight as the sweet-tasted pancakes activated his savory senses, and took another bite.

Our attention was not without notice, he look at us in utter confusion. "What?"

The whole family was bursting in laugh by the occasion.

"You like it?" Bia asked.

"It's – well I'm speechless. It's very good."

"I've told you." Tiago teased. "You haven't tried, you haven't lived."

I finally took a bite of my works, it was indeed delicious, just as I expected. The pancakes were officially gone after ten minutes of breakfast. Jewel helped herself a mango from the assorted fruit bowl in the kitchen.

The rain hadn't yet ceased when the breakfast was over, but judging by how stuffed the kids was, it wasn't going to be a problem.

"Man that was sure nice." Tiago stated, "The best meal ever!"

"Agreed little bro." Carla nodded.

I walked myself to the TV, attempting to cease the waiting time, I scrolled down to the available broadcasts: music, telenovela, soccer, until I stopped in the news section, it's about the upcoming carnival.

A vivid memory about carnival hit me; it was the day when I met Jewel.

"Kids, have I told you how I met your mother?"

"Well kind of, but not really the whole story." Bia said.

"Most of your stories are about Minnesota dad." My son declared.

"Well okay then, since carnival was around the corner, I'm started to remember how we met." I walked closer to Jewel. "The adventure we had…"

I recite how I met Jewel in the first place, how she attacked me and called me a pet, I told them our adventure around Rio as we chained together, and the bond that formed as we started to know each other more. I kept many of the embarrassing moment intact, just like when I tried to tell her how I felt and suddenly a flower petal choked me; it would be foolish if I skip some of the part. But I was aiming more than just entertainment purposes, saving the last part of the saga as the lessons.

"When we are in love, we will do anything for our loved one. Even it was crazy. Just like when we fell from the plane together, I had any choice to survive, but I ignored those thought and listen to my heart."

"And it worked. When your mother declared our mutual love, I knew I could do anything, that's when the spark was created in my heart, spreading my wings and let then wind carried me."

"And with that, I captured her heart forever." I finished, smiling. "Words always fail to express how much I love you Jewel."

My words plucked her heartstrings; she leaned closed and kissed me, much to Tiago and Carla annoyance.

"Great Mom and Dad are getting sappy again." Tiago stated, grimaced.

"That was an amazing tale, if you asked me." Bia told her siblings.

"Yeah sure it was Beatriz." Carla quipped. "You and Frost just started to act like Mom and Dad."

 _Whoa there! That's the line._

Motivated by the urge to distract my progeny from such conversation, I pointed at the sunny weather out there.

"Hey the rain stopped." I declared. "How about visiting your uncles huh kids? We haven't exactly visited them since we arrived."

"Yeah! Finally!" Tiago cheered. "Where are we going to first?"

"Well, since uncle's Rafael hollow were closer, that's going to be our first destination."

The entire flock nodded in affirmation, we swiftly made our way to the kitchen window. The chilling temperature still lingered in the air, but slowly deteriorated as the hostile ray of sun piercing its warmth into the wet spongy earth below.

We flew south from we were located, attempted to saw the landmark _Vista Chinesa,_ the place when Jewel and I were spending our first night together in Rio, and also the where Rafael's hollow was located.

The sight of the said landmark finally materialized after roughly ten minutes flight, and I quickly spotted my toucan friend with his chicks – and they were getting larger in number these days.

"Hey Rafi!' I exclaimed.

He lifted his head to the sky and saw us, his beak formed a smile.

"Hey _amigos!_ You back again this summer Blu?" He asked as we landed.

"Sure are uncle Rafi!" Carla said happily. "We wouldn't miss it for the world!"

Rafael soon noticed another presence of the macaw, the one he didn't recognize.

"And who is this?" He hopped closer to Frost.

He looked nervous than ever as Rafael entered his personal bubble.

"That's Frost, Rafi." I said, "Bia's boyfriend."

At the mention of "Boyfriend", Rafael formed a very wide grin. "Aw really? Bia's got a boyfriend huh?"

Bia was getting red under her cerulean feathers, and her face was blushing red, nonetheless, she nodded her head. "Yes."

"Alright Bia!" Rafael cheered; he then noticed something else on Frost. "Oh you got a scar?"

"Um yeah… it's a long story."

"Hey Rafi, where's Eva?" Jewel asked.

"Oh she was taking breakfast for all of us, probably heading home soon."

Jewel nodded her head and drifted her attention to Rafael's chicks; her response confirmed my thought earlier. "I see you got more kids these days."

"Oh yeah! In fact, there's more on the way." He then caught something in the corner of his eyes. "Hey! It's not a maraca stop shaking up!"

"Gah, I'll grow gray feather for sure this time." He sighed.

We were talking about some event in the Amazon as well as what happened in Rio lately, and according to Rafael, nothing was changed much, while the news in the Amazon was quite shocking him, as well as the story how Frost got his scar.

"I know a few fellow harpy eagles but they seems nice." He stated. "They usually visit the samba club once a week."

I let out a sigh, watching Frost and my kids having a chat. "I wish we can settle this out. They started to attack more macaws; it isn't going to be good."

"There is nothing good in violence and war Blu." He replied.

Eva's presence then manifest from a nearby canopy, bringing one ripe papaya with her.

"Oh hello there Blu! Hello Jewel!" She exclaimed.

"Hi there" we said in unison. "Kids! Here's Aunt Eva!" I shouted.

They arrived seconds later. "Hello Aunt Eva!"

"Hello to you too!" She greeted warmly. "Oh Blu! You didn't tell you get another chick!"

 _What? Oh right…_

"That's Bia's boyfriend." Rafael stated.

"Oh lovely! What's your name?"

"Frost." He replied.

"That's a wonderful name, I remembered a song all of the sudden." Eva stifled a cough, preparing her voice.

"Ohhh! We need to…" My words were cut by a nudge from Jewel, sighing, we exchanged looks, before nodding and bracing for the strain.

Frost was unprepared for the ocassion, he was closing his eyes tightly while moving backwards quickly; his act was rewarded with him plopping to the ground.

Seizing the opportunity, Rafael's broods had other plan for Frost.

"Attack!" one of them cried, which followed by his siblings attacking the helpless Frost on the ground.

"Wha?" He screamed. "Help!" dodging the attack as best as he could.

His cried reach Eva ears; she stopped her singing (Thankfully!) and flew straight to Frost.

"Kids! What I told about attacking strangers! Put him down! Now!"

Her kids dispersed as she got closer, leaving Frost on the ground, shocked.

"I'm sorry for our chicks' behavior." She said as Frost slowly rose from the ground. "It's okay." He said.

He then flew closer to us, where we tried our best to suppress a laugh.

Bia hopped closed to him, asking if he was okay, which he replied with a resounding "Yes", although he couldn't cast his eyes away from the chicks for the rest of our stay.

We extended our chat until our internal clock remembered us what time that was, the grumbling stomach signifying its need for another meal. We bid Rafael and Eva a farewell as we go deeper into the jungle, searching for food.

An acai palm was growing adjacent to a stream. We picked some of them to satiate our hunger, and quenching our thirst from the nearby stream. Tiago was pulling her sister into the water, spraying them with water; her sisters soon joined his game, in endeavor to avenge him, but there was another macaw that wasn't enjoying the activity.

Frost was staring at the stream; his pupils were shrinked into mere dots as he watched the current went by. I wasn't surprised by his reaction, as a memory of almost drowned to death wasn't exactly nice, and he hadn't yet prepared to deal with his past.

I walked slowly to him; he was still looking at the stream blankly, "Frost." I called him.

He wasn't aware I was there, lost in his fear.

"Frost." I snapped him out of his trance.

"Uh… Oh Blu, you scared me." He admitted.

"Are you okay?" I asked, although I already know what was going to be his answer.

"Yeah, I'm… fine." He said, but his face wasn't convincing.

I flashed a smile on my face, attempted to calm him down. "I know it must be hard for you to face the stream." I said, patting his back. "But sooner or later, you need to face it anyway."

He sighed. "I know… I'm just still wasn't sure."

"Okay maybe we can do it slowly, what do you say?"

"I don't know…"

I flashed a reassuring smile to him. "You'll be okay, I promise."

He nodded his head, slowly made his way into the stream. His steps were hesitant, but I keep urging him to continue.

The stream itself wasn't strong and deep, barely high enough to cover his talons.

"Okay slowly, slowly." I reassured him as he walked into the middle section of the stream.

He then slipped, splashing to the riverbed. He frantically looking for a grip, panicked.

"Whoa whoa there Frost, easy easy…" I help him back on his talon.

"I'm sorry…" He said, tremor within his voice.

I let out a sigh, his condition were much worse than I thought. "It's okay, Frost. It's okay." I reassured him. "Come on, try again."

He nodded his head, and slowly made his way into the deeper section of the stream.

"There you go! See it's okay!" I told him.

"Yeah… I guess I'm fine now."

Our activity wasn't going on without notice as my remaining family come closer to us. "Frost is afraid of water?" Tiago inquired.

"No… I was afraid of the stream." He admitted.

His confession was replied with a perplexed looks among them. "Uh… Why?" Carla asked.

"It's a very long story." He replied. "Maybe sometime later."

Jewel shot me a proud smile. "I like it when you do it."

"He was troubled, honey, and I felt it was my task to help him." I replied. "He always reminds me of myself a few times from now."

She continued to smile at me, nodding her head in understatement.

We were basking in the warmth of the sun's ray that pierced to the trees' canopy, drying our damp feathers after the activity from the river. the event lasted no more than ten minutes, as the heat intensity of Rio's sun grew each seconds.

We soared once again into the sky, and this time, we head straight to the center of the city, where Nico and Pedro's club was located.

The unobstructed view from the sky was amazing; it never ceased me to amaze just how beautiful and colorful Rio was. The massive structure of _Cristo Redentor_ casting a massive shadow to the city, the Copacabana beach, as usual, was crowded with humans. Some were relaxing, some were playing games. The skyline was also crowded, not only with birds of multiple species, but also humans did some hang gliding.

The city of Rio de Janeiro was full of colors, swirls of red covering the jungle where a flock of the scarlet macaws were flying. Hues of green where the dense jungles and hills that surrounds the city, and of course, the stroke of blue, yellow and other colors adorned its sky with perfect seamless blending, offering a sight that not only enchanted the one who saw it, but also seeping perfectly for those who treasure it deeply within their soul.

The building slowly replaced by stalls and humans as we approached the market, nostalgia hit me in the head. It was the place where we almost shared our first kiss, and the trolley above hadn't yet much changed, all those memories came back around like boomerang.

As we approached the samba club, I couldn't help but notice a shade of something massive flying in the sky. And judging by its shape, it was indeed birds, my eyes were widened when I decided to uncover what it was.

It was _them_.

* * *

 ** _A/N: so here it is the third chapter. I hope this wasn't dragging up._**

 ** _Please kindly leave a review and Thanks for reading._**


	4. Saturated

Chapter 4  
Saturated

The city of Rio de Janeiro never ceased to amaze me. Aside from the paradise-like scenery, the city was also full of colors from the activity. The marketplace was busy with activity not only humans, but also birds, monkey, a mini-version-of-jaguar (which later Bia called _cat_ ). It was alive and vibrant. I was lost by the sea of color in front of my eyes until I didn't realize two enormous shades were casted to the city below. It was then when I noticed Blu's shocked looks.

I dared myself to peek at the sky; the sun's golden ray overloaded my sight senses for a few minutes before it finally adjusted to the luminescence, revealing the owners of the shades.

My eyes were widened in terror, as I didn't believe what I saw. But those large wingspan and terrifying talons faltered my denial.

Harpy eagles, two of them, flying in the airspace of Rio, unaware of our cautious glare from below.

The rest of the flock was oblivious with the danger above, slightly confused when Blu motioning us to flew to a nearby building, avoiding contact sight with the eagles.

"Uh? What's going on?" Bia asked, her face bore quizzical looks from her father's action.

I turned my head, slowly mouthing. "Eagles…"

Bia shuddered at my mention of eagles. I wasn't surprised if she was afraid or scared. In fact, their mere sight was enough to invoke a stinging sensation in my scar.

The rest of her family was tensed when I mentioned about eagles. The once joyous mood was replaced with frown and worry.

Blu was scanning the sky, attempted to spot where the eagles are, but with no avail as their presence already faded with the wind.

He hadn't yet convinced that the situation was safe, took other tense minutes to scan the sky. He finally gave up after it seems like eternity, declared it was safe to go.

"Hi there!" a voice greeted.

That sudden noise was enough to send us dispersed into the air, only Jewel and Carla were calm enough to stay.

I was quite annoyed by the startled, and even more annoyed when I finally saw the owner of the said voice.

A male harpy eagle was standing behind us, towering Blu almost – two or three times – his size.

But I spotted something odd about this eagle. His face wasn't full of hatred like Bark. Instead it was full of warmth and friendliness.

"Oh sorry there _amigos,_ I didn't mean to startled you." He said, looking apologetically.

"It's okay. But please don't do that again." Blu stated nervously, another female harpy eagle soon join us.

"Oh César! You scared them." She snarled. "Sorry about César, he means good but always ending up scaring everyone."

"It's okay, we are just surprised. But no harm." Jewel said. "You aren't from here do you?"

" _Ah,_ _desculpe! onde estão meus bons modos? Meu nome é Selena, e ele é meu esposo, César._ " **[Ah, sorry! Where are my manners? My name is Selena, and he is my mate, César]**

" _Tudo bem Selena. Estou Jewel, este é Blu, meu esposo, e_ _eles são_ _nossas crianças._ " Jewel stated, pointing to Carla, Bia and Tiago. " _Elas sao Carla e Bia, ele_ _é_ _Tiago._ " **[That's okay Selena. I'm Jewel, he is Blu, my mate. And they are our children] , [They are Carla and Bia, he is Tiago]**

"Hello!" Carla, Bia and Tiago greeted them.

" _¿_ _Blu y Jewel?_ " César inquired, his language brought a confussion in the group. " _¿Que Blu y Jewel? ¡_ _Fantástico!_ " **[Blu and Jewel?] , [That Blu and Jewel? Fantastic!]**

"He is Spanish?" Blu asked, finally feeling ease with their friendliness.

"Yup, he came from _El Salvador._ " Selena replied.

"You _amigos_ are Rio's most famous couple! I can't believe I meet you guys here!" His accent reminded me of someone – oh right, Roberto.

"So what brings you guys here?" Selena asked.

"Oh, we are on our way to the samba club." Jewel replied.

"What a coincidence! We are on our way there too! Let's go together." Selena declared, which Blu and Jewel agreed.

I was left dumbfounded by them – not the language – but the bizarre behavior of the eagles, my mind keep telling me that their friendliness couldn't be trusted.

We pierced our way to the marketplace; I couldn't cast my eyes away from the eagles for the rest of the trip. Bia noticed my cautious looks, flew closer.

"You okay Frost?" She inquired.

"Yeah, I'm just…"

"These eagles seem nice." She whispered softly.

"Don't let them fool you, you remember what happened right?"

Bia frowned at the memories. "Well, yeah… but maybe they are different, Frost."

"I don't know Bia, but it would be hard for me to trust them."

The sight of the samba club finally materialized, a loud thudding rhythm could be heard from the outside.

"Here we are kids! The club, let's go meet Pedro and Nico." Blu said jovially. "Ladies first."

Jewel and Selena chuckled at his action. "What a manner, gentle _bird_." Jewel teased.

We opened the curtain and that's where's my world was completed.

The sight was incredible! Birds, lots of them were dancing with the enchanting music, strokes of spotlight with multiple colors were adorned the scenery with supreme level. My senses were once again overloaded with such beauty, awestruck.

"This is the coolest place I've ever seen!" I exclaimed, couldn't contain my excitement.

" _Bem-vindo a paraiso!_ " Bia told me. "That means 'Welcome to paradise'."

"Hey look! Rio's most famous couple has returned!" Someone shouted, which replied with thunderous cheers from the other birds.

"Nico! Pedro!" Jewel and Blu said in unison.

"Uncle Nico! Uncle Pedro!" Their kids echoing, rushing to hug them.

"Ugh… guys… I need… some air…" The yellow canary struggled for breathe.

They released their hearty – supposedly – hug, looking apologetically. "Sorry."

"You mini-birds are getting stronger each day!" The red-crested cardinal quipped.

"So what bring Rio's famous couple here?" The yellow canary asked.

"Oh we are here to say hello to you, kids have been wanting to meet you guys." Blu replied.

The yellow canary spotted our eagles' _companion_ , shouted in joy, his voice almost drowned by the ambient music. "Eh César! Selena!"

"Hey Nico!" César replied.

"Wait, you guys know them?" Jewel surprised.

"Of course! They've been on our club since four months ago." Nico told her, and then lowered his volume into a whisper. "Although they look _really_ scary, they really are good birds."

The doubt in Blu's face ceased totally at the confirmation, he flashes a smile to their new acquaintances.

"Okay, I know you like to chat, but dis club ain't for talking!" The red-crested cardinal declared. "Come on Nico! Hit da music!"

"Wait! I'll sing too!" Carla halted them. "Can I Mom?"

"Of course sweetie."

"Alright! Everybody listens up," Nico shouted, the music ceased. "We had ourselves a very performer today! Please welcome Carla!"

The crowd cheered loudly, Nico then added. "Since our performer still young, please considerate the rules: dance appropriately okay?"

"Now without further ado, let's get this party started!"

"Yoyoyoyo everybody clap their wings together as loud as you can! Clap 'em! Slap 'em."

The lowly bass rhythm slowly manifest from the speakers, a spoonbill was using a _maraca_ to enhance the performance, and the first verse of the song started.

The beat was unbelievably amazing; Tiago was doing acrobatic stunts in his dance, spinning his head and ricocheting like a bullet. Blu and Jewel were dancing romantically and the crowd was lost with the beat.

Nico voice booming as the first verse of the song finally hit the spotlight; his voice was amazingly smooth and nice. The thumping beat slowly seeping into my soul, my talons moved involuntary.

Bia wasn't really a dancer, but she tried her best. I was struck in awe when she danced with her wings, like an angel in the earth.

"Come on, Frost." She giggled.

The eagles were the main spotlight - aside from their size, their way of dancing was also unique. César was holding Selena with his wings, their dance were more coordinated than the rest, slowly tip-toeing from one spot to other, before lifted Selena and spinning around before throwing her into the air.

Selena was hovering and flapping her wing at a steady rhythm, her large wingspan produced a very audible wing-flap noise, but instead of distorting the music, it perfectly synced with the beat.

Carla voice finally erupted at the second verse, a swirls of colors finally manifested in my eyes as the music assimilated me into its realm, and my body gave up to stay still.

I hold Bia's wings and we danced together, spinning her as we dancing in circle, returning her into my embrace, enveloping her within my left wing.

The fiesta of colors exploded as the chorus hit the spotlight, Carla and Nico's voices were seamlessly fuses with the music, enchanting each lyric with unexplainable magic.

Carla was sassily shaking her tail when the interlude of the song coming through. She broke her voice once again into the soft finale chorus and the crowd went wild.

The soft melody drifted me into Bia closer, her eyes met mine, locking our gaze to each other. The loud noise of the crowd was muffled as I set my eyes for her. We leaned closer to each other, touching our beaks together; her wings wrapped my neck.

In the midst of multi-colored light that enchanted the room, I wasn't going to miss the opportunity to tell her how much I love her.

"You are my one and only, Bia." I stated, closing my eyes.

"Oh really?" She quipped.

I leveled my gaze with her, smiling. "I have a mark to prove that."

She smiled. "Love you too."

Applause erupted when the song finally ended; Carla, Nico and Pedro bowed humbly. They later fluttered down, spotting us.

"Well well! Who is this?" Nico asked, "Your boyfriend, Bia?"

She nodded her head. "Yup, this is Frost."

"Hi!" I greeted them.

"Well hello there!" Pedro said, before noticing my scar. "That's some nasty scar you got there."

"How did you get that?" Nico asked, inspecting the scar.

"My encounter with harpy eagles." I answered, noticing their curious looks. "Um… It's a very very long story."

I let out a sigh of relief when they weren't trying to press the issue, but their question lingered in my head, invoking the doubt that had been casted away about those eagles. It was really hard to trust a creature that wasn't supposedly to be your friends, not to mention the _scar_ they left me to remember.

César and Selena had been so kind and friendly all this time, it was something I noticed, their face wasn't full of wicked grin or menacing looks that threatened to kill us, but rather the exact opposite, warm and gleeful.

But my mind insisted that they couldn't be trusted completely. Eagles are eagles, no matter how friendly they were, they would always be your enemy.

The rest of the family finally joined in, Tiago was gasping for breath, his stunts was taking toll on him. We cheered for Carla performance.

"Thanks guys!" She intoned playfully, proud of herself.

"She was really great! You must be proud." Selena praised her, talking to Jewel.

"I must say that your voice is very amazing." I commented. "The best singer I've heard."

Truth be told, Carla singing prowess is equal to Bia's intelligence and Tiago unlimited supply of energy – okay fine! I'm not going to exaggerate anymore, happy?

Carla formed a teasing smile at my compliment. "It's that a compliment I heard?"

Nonplussed, I tilted my head. "Well yeah…"

She giggled at my reaction. "I began to see what Bia sees in you."

I groaned at the awkwardness, while the rest of them joined the giggle.

Selena and César bid us a farewell after a few moments, having another issue to be done. I was thankful when they finally decided to leave, as I finally felt less tense.

Even after their friendliness towards us, I still couldn't cast away the cloud of doubt away from my head.

"So where did you guys want to go after this?" Nico inquired.

"Home?" Blu replied.

"No! Come on dad! Just a little bit longer?" Tiago begged.

"We haven't yet visited Uncle Luiz." Bia confirmed.

"That's true sweetie, let's visit him too before we call this day an end." Jewel added.

Blu wasn't going to survive the barrage of request, sighing in defeat. "Okay fine."

"Yes! thanks Dad!" Tiago exclaimed joyfully.

"Nico, Pedro?"

"Nah, we'll stay here. The club needs us." Pedro stated.

"Suit yourself." Blu replied. "Come on guys, we need to catch the trolley."

"Um… Dad. We can fly, remember?." Bia told him.

Blu was embarrassed by the sudden revelation. "Well… that's correct…"

Jewel was giggling. "I think your father want to remember the moment we got from there."

"Ah you understood. Isn't that nice?" Blu walked closer to Jewel, "The trolley that brought us together."

Jewel was nuzzling his neck. "Of course I do."

"Okay! Better get moving; Dad and Mom are getting all sappy again." Tiago declared, grimaced.

"We are mates Tiago, give us some time." Jewel said.

Tiago and Carla rolled their eyes before flew outside, Bia and I soon followed, leaving the adult macaws to savor their time together for a little while.

The sky had reached its oldest as the sun had started to descend into the horizon; it wasn't officially evening – more like afternoon.

I caught some glimpses of eagles in the sky. This time, there are three of them. Two of them, I was sure, were César and Selena, while the other one was a juvenile.

Tiago also noticed their presence, commented. "Those eagles are very nice birds, awesome too."

"I got to admit that I wasn't hoping to get a closer look on eagles. They are really fascinating." Bia stated.

"Well they are sure different from _those_ eagles back in the Amazon." Carla said.

Blu and Jewel finally hopped out of the club, joining us. "Okay kids, ready to go?"

"About time dad! Come on!" Carla declared.

We finally returned into the city airspace, the heat was reached an unbearable intensity, something common from summer in Rio, courtesy to Blu.

Blu motioned us to follow the _thing._ The yellow-self-moved-box-filled-with-humans – trolley, as he stated it would directly brought us into this _Luiz._

My eyes still glued on the eagles in the sky as we flew to our destination. Part of me still cautious about those eagles, but the other one was left perplexed, searching for every reason available on why they were acting so friendly. Despite they were being the apex predator, the bird of prey, you name it.

My brain was left with too many streams of possibilities and variables to formulate the exact reason, and it slowly took toll on me as I wasn't really paying attention to the flight, Blu's words were drowned with the heat.

My brain finally gave up and terminated the process before it completed its full cycle as their presence finally faded with the clouds, bringing me back into the real world.

And before I know it, we already approaching a quite tall structure, it was a grimy sight – to be honest, the eerie atmosphere was present.

We fluttered down to the metal bars that covered the huge entrance; it was peace and quiet – too quiet.

The massive structure was shady, providing a perfect shelter against the hostile heat outside, but something just felt wrong. As there were neither signs of this Luiz nor any other activity.

We walked deeper into the _garage_ – as Blu told me, and yelling for his name.

"Luiz! We are here!"

No response was coming out, I started to felt uneasy.

"Uncle Luiz! Hello!" Tiago exclaimed.

"Coming!" Someone exclaimed from inside, moment later, it revealed a – well I didn't know what that was – dog, he quickly rushing towards us with his saliva all over the floor.

He then slipped, skidding towards us with his belly.

I couldn't contain the laugh, snickered at the humorous act in front of me; the laugh soon infected the rest of the family.

Luiz wasn't offended with our laugh; in fact, he joined in. "Yeah, I guess I deserved that."

"That's why I kept telling you to wipe your droll, Luiz." Jewel chuckled.

He nodded, claiming a clean rag to wipe his droll. "Now then! Hug your Uncle here!" He declared, which Bia and her siblings obeyed.

"I miss you guys, since I can't go to the Amazon as much as Nico and Pedro." He stated.

"We miss you too Uncle Luiz." They said.

He released his hug, turning to Blu and Jewel. "So you guys ready for carnival?"

"Of course! We won't miss it." Blu said joyfully.

"Uhm… what's a carnival?" I inquired.

Luiz was perplexed when I suddenly joined in. "Hey who is this?" He said warmly.

"Bia's boyfriend! Frost." Tiago exclaimed.

"You guys grow really fast! And now Bia's already got a boyfriend. It seems only yesterday I was helping your parents broke the chain." He said.

"I wouldn't classify that as a help Luiz." Blu snorted a laugh, "Although it was a good fun back there."

"Well it was working right? Then it was a help." He countered jovially.

Blu rolled his eyes, chuckled. "Sure Luiz, whatever you said."

"So are you going to perform again in the carnival? You know, like you told us." Carla asked.

My question was left unanswered, so I decided to assert my question – although it's more like a meek request.

"So um… what's a carnival?"

"Oh right! We haven't told you yet." Carla replied. "It was a party, celebration, you name it. But with a very huge scale!" she added. "And it only happens in Rio!"

"That's sounds really nice, when this 'carnival' will be held?"

"Around a week from now I guess." Blu responded.

We continued to chat about the carnival, until finally drowsiness started to get its talon on us, Carla, Bia and even Tiago had lost their enthusiasm.

Noticing the looks, Blu decided to end the conversation, bidding goodbye to his _canine_ companion.

I was the last one to take off, admiring the sky for a moment, Luiz walked beside me.

"Yep I know just how you feel." He continued. "Watching them up there, makes you want to chase them and bite their heads off, uh?"

 _Wait what? WHAT?_

I inched myself from him a little, scared.

He then laughed before tapping me on my back. "I'm just kidding. You stay safe okay?" he bid me a farewell.

"Uh yeah, you too… bye." I said awkwardly.

He disappeared into the garage soon after, I spread my wings and catching them up.

The yellow orb was half-way sinking into the horizon, the Copacabana beach transformed into a sea of molten gold as the sun's golden ray reflected by the seawater; it rippled slowly as a breeze passed by.

I was intrigued by the beach, slowly made my way there.

Bia noticed my change of course, banking left, approaching me.

"Where're you going?"

"Oh, that." I pointed the beach. "It seems nice."

Bia was hesitant for the moment, before nodded and asking her parents. "Mom, Dad! Can we go to the beach for just a while?" She inquired.

"Well… your siblings look tired." Blu stated, Tiago then stifled a yawn as a confirmation.

"Maybe you two can go together." Jewel said, "But not passed dinner, okay?"

"Are you sure?" Her mate asked. "They can be lost or you know…"

"They'll be fine, Blu." Jewel assured. "You two have fun!"

"Thanks Mom!"

"Have a nice date!" Carla quipped.

"One of this day I'll return those teases Carla, just you wait." Bia snarled playfully.

"Oh really? I'll be waiting then."

We parted our ways, heading to the beach. But my eyes caught something else in the sky, eagles, and this time half-dozen of them.

I motioned Bia to fly lower, much to her bewilderment.

"What?" She asked.

I pointed the sky to answer her question.

She peeked at the sky, but her reaction wasn't what I was expecting.

"Oh come on Frost, they are nice eagles."

Surprised, I replied. "How did you know? There are six of them and as far as I'm concerned, you only know two are friendly, we can't take any chances."

She sighed before nodding her head. "Fine, let's go."

My decision soon proved to be a fatal mistake. I wasn't yet familiar with the human's surrounding – more likely their creation that seems bizarre and the lack of knowledge were driving me into a reckless, naïve decision.

We flew past the streets, some _cars_ were speeding up. Bia wasn't sure about crossing the streets, she was explaining the danger might happened, but my mind insisted that eagles are more a _threat_ than humans.

A car suddenly pacing from the distance, I was caught up with keeping my eyes on the eagles until I wasn't notice the closer mortal threat. Bia hurled herself to save me, the car barely missing us. The gust of wind from such velocity whisked us, throwing me into the ground, and Bia to the center of the road.

She was trying to recover from her spin when another vehicle speeding from the distance. My eyes widened in terror and I squawked loudly. "Bia! No!"

* * *

 ** _A/N: So yeah, this chapter finally finished. this is not my best chapter I admit. probably going to rewrite it one of these day. and about the languange I used, I know Jewel is called 'Perla' in Spanish and 'Jade' in Portuguese, but bear with me just this time.  
_**

 ** _I have a request for you guys, I have a poll in my profile. and it is about my future stories and I hope you guys can fill that so I know what to do._**

 ** _PS: Please kindly leave a review and thanks for reading._**

 ** _PPS: Fallout 4 confirmed! yes!_**


	5. Hues

Chapter 5  
Hues

I threw myself to Bia as fast as I could, hoping to save her from the speeding vehicle, unfortunately, another one was blocking my way, the gust of wind throwing me once again into the ground, tasting dust in my beak.

I quickly rushed to wake, but my body still sore from the crash. I screamed loudly to warn her, as it was the only thing I could do. "Bia! Move!"

The driver was frantically signaling her to stay away with her horn, Bia finally snapped when the straining noise of the horn reached her ears, but it was all too late as the car had already mere inch from her.

Everything started to pace in slow motion, my heart filled with dread and terror on the inevitable events that was going to happen, and it was my entire fault; If I listened to her, she wouldn't be in this situation.

Another car was blocking the view of the crash, sparing me the terrifying event that would occur seconds, my blood ran cold when I heard the crashing sound, my sight senses were blocked with the car obstructed my view.

Everything returned at a normal speed, my head denied that Bia had gone. I wasn't sure how to tell her family about the incident, yet admitting that I was the sole reason she was gone.

 _No no please no! please!_

I scanned the crash site, hoping to spot her amongst the wreckage. The driver was safe, but her car's condition denied the any possibilities that Bia made it and live.

I frantically squawking her name, searching for any signs of her, but to no avail, I couldn't even spot her body.

My heart was shattered with the revelation, I've lost my love and I was the one who made her gone.

I stared at the sky, tears started to stream down my face as anger slowly manifest within my heart. Rage was burning at its best, blaming myself, but before it blinded me; I spotted something in the sky.

It was one of the eagles, s/he was flying lower than before, carrying something blue in his/her talon. My eyes widened when I realized it was a bird, Bia.

My heart was filled with joy, but the sensation was short-lived as the fact of eagles hit me, and replaced it with rage once again.

 _I know they can't be trusted! I know it!_

Adrenaline was pumped into my vein, ceasing the entire sore from the crash before as I set my eyes for Bia. My adrenaline-rage-infused body was boosted with supreme level, allowing me to fly at a velocity I never felt before, almost matched the eagle's speed.

I squawked threateningly, alerting the eagle about my presence. "Put her down!"

The eagle was pacing faster, attempted to escape my pursuit, but I kept my wings flapping, increasing my speed. "I said put her down!" I yelled, burning with rage. The eagle still wasn't buying.

 _Okay, you asked for it!_

I slowly increased my altitude to gain speed from the wind streams above, targeting the eagle's weakest link; its wing.

I dove quickly back to the ground, allowing the gravity to increase my velocity as I got closer to the eagle, s/he noticed my move, dodging my bite by banking hard to the left, his face finally exposed.

The intensity of my rage increased as I recognized the owner of the face, "You!"

César banked right, adjusting himself to the previous direction he was intended earlier, ignoring me.

I repeated my attack once again, with the same result as he was very agile; something I wasn't expecting from someone like him.

Bia was moving slowly in his talon, her consciousness had returned – which I was thankful that she was still alive. But César talon was sandwiched her tightly, restraining any movement.

I prepared my claw instead this time, If I couldn't ground him, at least I could scratch him to release Bia. I paced myself faster, trying matched his speed.

He was able to dodge all of my attack; every time I tried to claw him, he simply flew upwards or downwards. And every time I tried to ground him, he was banking left or right easily, as he was some kind of martial arts master or something.

He dragged me into a looping phase of flight; I could see the landmark I've passed multiple times, and soon realized his plan. He was trying to exhaust me.

My mind couldn't believe I was tricked, a very clever trick. My wings started to prove my realization, straining with fatigue. But I kept myself to chase him, giving the entire thing I got, as Bia was more important than everything in the world.

I was envious with his endurance; eagles are built to fly very long, their large wingspan was a very great advantages. It allows them to glide more efficiently, as the larger surface provided them with more lifting force from the breeze.

I started to slow down as the day officially called afternoon, gasping for breath, my wings were strained and I started to lose altitude.

César noticed my slower flight pattern, finally decided to land into a nearby roof, _gently_ released Bia there.

I was perplexed by his action, as his action was incredibly weird. My body finally gave up with the stiffness, as my wing wasn't flapping anymore and let myself fell to the earth.

It was then when another eagle catch me, and brought me to where Bia was located.

My wits were too tired to process their act, and I finally let myself to their mercy, bracing to the pain I would soon receive.

César was smiling at me, a warm smile – surprisedly – before walking to the eagle that saved me.

"That was close Selena." He said. "I almost lost her."

"Yeah, but you managed to get her right, that what's matter."

Bia was stammering, I have no idea if she was stammering from the crash or the eagles.

I dared myself to saw their face, another eagles – about four of them – were coming to us, surrounded us with no escape.

I huddled Bia with my wing, enjoying my last moment with her before we got eaten, she snapped out of her thought, "Frost?"

I flashed a reassured smile, even the circumstances wasn't reassuring at all. "Hush now Bia, I'm her for you." I said, added. "I'm sorry for what I've done."

César and Selena were 'awwed' with our act. "That is so cute don't you think César?"

It was a sick joke, a _very_ sick joke. "Just eat us will you?" I snarled. "If that is what you planned, just do it!"

My statement was replied with a laugh, a good mannered laugh from the entire eagles' flock.

César walked beside me, extended his wing and touch my shoulder. "No no no amigo. We don't eat macaws!" He chuckled.

 _What? Is this some kind of cruel joke?_

"I mean yes some of us do eat macaws, but we here don't eat other birds."

"That's correct." One of the eagles said. "How can we eat our own _compadres?_ "

Bia was fully recovered, joining the conversation, "Really?"

"That was true, _señorita_. We have sworn not to eat any other birds, with no exception." The other eagles stated.

Perplexed, I asked. "Then why you were dodging me?"

"Because you were filled with rage at that moment." César said. "It's best not to interfere with someone's anger."

"I've seen you spying on us, it seems you don't trust us, any reason why?" César inquired.

Selena then noticed my scar. "Oh my, what happened to you?" She asked.

 _Should I tell them about it? How would they react when I told them it was their_ kin _who left me this scar?_

Sighed, I decided to tell them. "It was my encounter with harpy eagles back in the Amazon. They clawed my eyes." I said nonchalantly.

Gasps were heard among them, many of them quickly rushed to apologize.

"Oh my!"

"Sorry for that, I'm sure they weren't intended to do that."

"If I ever met him, I clawed him back. Don't worry amigo! I'm here for you."

Selena motioned the crowd to silence, avoiding to inappropriately crowding me, "Sorry about that, but we do sincerely sorry about that scar, and I assured you that we won't do that to other birds."

Touched, confused, amazed, I let myself released the tension in my demeanor. "It's… fine… really." Their sincerity was a genuine one, and I started to realize something different in them.

"But why you don't eat other birds?" Bia asked, curiosity sparked.

"Hmm… that's quite a long story, you have time?" César asked.

We nodded our head in confirmation. "Sure."

"Well okay then." He inhaled a deep breath before started his story. "It was…"

* * *

It was a sunny day when we were forced out of our home, abandoning our sanctuary that had been existed from my grandpa's grandpa. We harpy eagles were always the highest rank birds in the jungle, and other birds were humbled by ours. We lived carefree; thinking ourselves as invincible, as no one ever match against us.

But each year, the humans pushed us deeper into the jungle, as they started to destroy the trees. At first, it wasn't really a big deal; the jungle was massive, and we think we would never run out of everything. But in the end, we started to realize that we nearing the other edge of the forest. The once green and lush were replaced with tall skyscrapers or mostly crops. Soon after, we understand that we weren't holding on much longer. A meeting were arranged to discuss the issue.

Most of us still denied that one of those days, we would be driven out for sure, and so the meeting was all for nothing. But the condition were getting critical each year, some had decided to leave early, dared themselves to face the outside world, while some stayed and hoped for the best.

I was one of the tribe's main guards, as much as I wanted to leave. I couldn't just abandon my duty.

But in the end, all pray and hope were left unanswered, ironic really when you lived in _El Salvador_ which literally meant 'The Savior' but no one was coming to save us.

We were driven out; the tribe was dispersed as the lack of food started to driven us mad. Most of the time, we started to feed on other birds at a greater scale…

* * *

César paused; he hung his head in shame. "I still recalled some of them pleaded me to release them, when they told me that they had family, but only I replied them with cold stare."

Selena rushed to calm him. "It's all in the past, César."

He then stifled a painful chuckle, "Even after all this years, their scream still echoing in my head."

"Anyways, let's continue the story…"

* * *

But then, the problem wasn't just food. Our home was lost, so we began to invade their home for our shelter. Birds were driven crazy; we lost our once noble action, and slowly turned into bestiality.

I remembered the time when I was chased by a group of other birds as I trespassed their territory by accident. I was left dying on the jungle floor for days, before someone picked me and tended me to full health.

I never have any explanation why she was doing that to me, nor got a chance to thank her, as she was later killed when my kin attacked their home.

I recalled the agonizing hurt in my heart when her chicks were asking. " _mamá,_ _¿dónde está_ _papá?_ " knowing their father had probably killed and eaten out there.

I wasn't prepared on such bestiality my kin was offering, they stormed her house, slashing the female bird that have tended me in front of her chicks…

* * *

César were trembling, I could see a raging anger burning in his eyes. "They. Make. Them. Watch." He emphasized. "The chicks were scared to death; they run away from the scene, chirping loudly. But later fell to the jungle floor as they haven't yet learnt to fly."

Selena kept comforting him; she also felt the sadness that radiated from him.

* * *

We were a monster; we only listened to our instincts. I've tried to convince the tribe's leader to stop this madness, but he replied me with cold shoulder, threatening me, telling me to just shut up.

I was sick enough with this; this wasn't the tribe I was served before. With that, I decided to pack up, and leave behind this sickening village and venture to the outside world, start a new life. Alejandro, Santiago and Adelia were coming with me, for the same reason; never crossed in my mind that I would finally leave behind my home one day, all of this because of humans, the creature that always looks for trouble when they didn't have one.

Deep down, I was cursing them, I hate them. They took my home, took my friends and family. They were the reason everything got worse…

* * *

He turned his head at me. "We are all had _scar_ to remember." He added. "Some are physical; others were carved into their soul."

"But then, they did something."

* * *

We were flying aimlessly from town to town. I didn't exactly know where we were, but along the journey, I began to learn very valuable lessons.

I've seen so many bold letters that said. "Save the earth!" "Go green!" "Protect the rainforest!" and such.

They were trying to fix their mistakes, that non-verbal action was enough for me to realize that they were sincere, they want to reconcile with the Mother Nature, restoring her to her glory.

My hatred for them slowly ceased. When people want to change, I'll give them a chance, and humans proved that they can and willing to change.

I began to understand not to judge something from one perspective, but rather perceive them with multiple angles. To ensure you weren't wrong to judge something before you confront them.

That's when I finally reached this marvelous city; I was welcomed greatly with them, both humans and the birds. I decided to stay and savor my time here; it was also when I finally met Selena.

* * *

Selena was nuzzling to his chest, while the other eagles chatted about his story.

"I've even heard some of the humans that prepared to give their life for the environment." César concluded. "That was the most sincere things I've ever heard in my life on how they really want to redeem themselves."

"In fact, do you know that each year, there would be an occasion where Rio will stay dark for one hour?"

" _Earth Hour?_ " Bia asked.

"Ah yes, that one. You are such a smart girl don't you?" César grinned. "When people want to change, give them a chance. You'll be surprised when they really sincere to fix themselves."

Bia blushed at his comment. "That one happened all across the world! Not just Rio!"

"Even greater than I was expected." César stated. "So yeah, that's why I don't eat other birds anymore; whew we really drifted away from that don't we?" He chuckled.

"I must say your tale opened a new thought for me." I said, amazed. "I… um… I always think that all harpy eagles are the same."

"Good thing you learn right?" He smiled warmly. "That's what's important"

"Yeah." I said. "I'm really glad I had a chance to talk to you."

The yellow orb had disappeared into the horizon, Bia, noticed this, exclaimed, "Oh great! We almost passed dinner! Come on!"

"Uh… We.." Bia words were cut by Selena. "Sure, I don't want your parents get worried either."

"Goodbye everybody!" She exclaimed, I echoed her response.

"Goodbye! Be safe this time!" César and Selena said. "By the way, I just realized I haven't exactly known your name." César stated.

"Oh yeah, my name is Frost." I said warmly.

"Frost huh? Alright, see you later, Frost."

"Bye, César!"

"Come on, Frost!" Bia shouted.

"Coming!" I exclaimed.

For ones who see the world, we see them as color pallets, as the world is full of color. Stokes of yellow, blue, green adorned the world with their unique traits.

The problem is, when we saw the world, just like color pallets, some of the color are saturated. Just like when you choose your favorite colors, it was based on how you perceive them, what suits your personality preferences. The way we perceive the worlds is unique, truly are something that only we can understand with greatest precision.

But again, those perspective involuntary tinted our sight, thereby saturated some colors, creating a subjective judgment based on what we know, not what we don't know.

When you decided to take a closer look on those colors, you will noticed that they weren't all the same, because they have hues, a more complex color than what they seems, even a simple blue had almost thousands of hues. If you said an apple spoiled the bunch, then you just saw something from your mere judgment, unwise and naïve.

To break the tinted lenses that colored our perspective, sometimes, it is as easy as removing that lenses: open your eyes, your mind and your heart, allow them to see another angle of a problem.

Take a closer look  
before you judge something by their look

Everything is saturated  
as we see from our perspective, tinted

Because you don't see the world as it is  
you see the world as you are

as the world revolves in its axis  
it's time to leave behind those lenses  
experience the world and its hues  
Because we simply didn't know when it ceases  
and replaced with bold blues

* * *

 ** _A/N: That's the third chapter of "Perspective" Side stories, you guys probably want Bia and Frost's romantic chapter right? It's on the way! stay tuned!_**

 ** _and yeah, please help me to fill the poll in my profile as I need the data for my future stories.  
_**

 ** _P.S: Please kindly leave a review, thanks for reading._**


	6. Heartstrings

Chapter 6  
Heartstrings  
 _"Your heart is the Lyre and your love is the Maestro."_

Another day had arrived in the city of Rio de Janeiro. I was the first one to wake, even Frost and Mom that usually woke up early hadn't yet showed up. After finished preening my feathers, I decided to take some morning readings. As much as I love enjoying the tranquil morning, like Frost told me. I preferred to spend the quiet morning with reading some of my books, as the situation was perfect for concentrating on my readings.

I picked one of my books, the one I hadn't got a chance to read. Linda had giving me more books to read on, some of them already sparking my curiosity with their intriguing cover, promising a new level of knowledge I hadn't yet possessed.

Skimming through the neatly stacked book, I decided to read about birds; my encounter with the harpy eagles yesterday was driving me into a huge appetite of curiosity against them. Picking the right book, I opened the vibrant cover, skimming through the tables of contents, searching for harpy eagles section.

It was easily spotted, directed me into page-20 of the book, where the said information was printed. I started to read the first sentences, filling my head with the facts from the book.

I enjoyed my time with it until I heard a tacking noise from my parent's platform; signifying someone had finally awake. The noise was followed by greetings voices from two macaws.

I quickly recognized who those voices belong; my parents had finally risen from their slumbers. I poked my head out of my room's entrance and saw them, nuzzling into each other.

Carla, Tiago and Frost weren't anywhere on sight, still lost in their dreamscape.

I returned the book into the neat stack, before hopped out of my room to greet my parents; they soon noticed my presence as I fluttered down.

"Morning Dad! Morning Mom!" I greeted them softly, in respect of my sleeping siblings.

"Morning!" They said in unison. "You woke early, Bia."

Mom and Dad gave me a little peck on the cheek. "You sleep well last night?" Dad asked.

"Indeed, Dad."

Our conversation had involuntary awaked Carla, she was yawning when she made her way into the platform. Her crest feathers were crazy from the sleep, as she hadn't yet preened herself. "Morning." She exclaimed.

We repeated her greeting; Mom was chuckled with her appearance. Confused, she asked. "What's so funny?"

Dad finally gave up and joined the laugh, although I was sure he was laughing more vigorously on the inside.

"I wish you can see yourself right now." Mom chuckled, pointed her wing to her crest feathers.

Carla was blushing, quickly bringing her wings to adjust her wild crest feathers. "Well, at least Frost wasn't here to saw it."

I tilted my head in confusion, a little jealousy was ignited."Huh? What's Frost has to do with that?"

Carla, sensing my jealousy, quickly confirmed. "Well, it's not just Frost really, if there's any non-family macaw saw me like this, I would be mortified for days." She then added. "Right now, Frost is the only one right?"

I nodded my head, jealousy ceased easily as they came. "Oh right."

Mom and Dad were sighing, I assumed because disaster was prevented.

We were discussing about the breakfast, as much as I wanted to taste another pancakes or waffles, I didn't think Mom would approve the idea, so we set ourselves to get some mango instead, as they were the easiest meal to be found and abundance in number.

Tiago and Frost finally rose from their slumber, precisely around twenty seconds since our decision to take mangos as breakfast. Frost was stretching his body, while Tiago was preened by Mom.

They addressed us some greetings, which invoking the response we shared to each other earlier. Frost then fluttered down beside me, smiling.

"You woke late, sleepyhead." I teased. "Tiago was the reason again?"

Tiago overheard our conversation, countered. "So by your logic, every time Frost woke up late I was the sole reason?"

Frost was laughing with Tiago's response. "That's a very reasonable logic, what do you have to say?"

"Well, there are less possibilities and variables in your room, Tiago. And based on the previous incident, I can do that logic." I countered back.

Tiago rolled his eyes in defeat. "Yeah, sure it was, whatever you say sis."

"Okay that's enough rivalry for a day." She said firmly.

"So Mom, what are we going to eat for breakfast?"

"Mangos." Mom replied.

I could see Tiago's face gloomed a little, assumed that he was expecting pancakes or waffles for breakfast, but with pancakes being our breakfast yesterday, chances to got another one were dropped to zero.

"Okay you guys wait here, I'm going to get some of them, shouldn't take long." Dad opened his wings and soared, but turned back half-way "Ermm yeah, I almost forgot we got more birds this time, Frost, can you come with me?"

"Sure." He stated, flapping his wing, hovering beside Dad.

"Okay, you guys stay put, we'll be back soon."

"Like we will go anywhere, Dad." Carla stated sarcastically.

We waited their arrival for almost two full minutes; they finally arrived with two mangos on each other, making the total of four to feast on.

They gingerly placed the green-yellowish fruits on the platform; the sweet aroma hit our nostrils, seducing our smell senses.

"I must say this was the first time I picked a mango carefully." Dad said. "Frost here knows what's best."

"Oh, it was nothing. When you spent your entire life in the jungle, it is become natural to know something like that." He said humbly.

The mangos soon become too tempting to be ignored, and decided to start the breakfast.

Mom and Dad were sharing the mango, their face were filled with delight as the flesh hit their savory senses. "This is nice." Mom said, Dad nodded in agreement.

Frost offered me one of the mangos, which I accepted gladly. I took a bite of the said fruit; the burst of sweet flavor hit my tongue. "Wow, it was really that good."

"So it's safe to assume that it was indeed delicious? Alright then!" Tiago picked the mango and attacked it.

"Manners Tiago, Manners." Mom reminded him.

He wiped his stained beak with his tongue, smiling in delight, before returned to his meal.

Carla was also impressed with the taste, savoring every taste.

Our breakfast was officially done when the last mango was disappeared; we set ourselves into the edge, letting our meal slide in for the digestive system to do their work.

"So Dad, what are we going to do today?" Tiago asked, fueled for another adventure.

"Well I was thinking about exploring the jungle, what do you guys think?"

"Well, I'm actually thinking to take a tour into the city. We haven't exactly exploring all of them." Frost admitted.

"That would be _boring_." Tiago said nonchalantly. "Rio wasn't that great."

Dad shot a glare to Tiago. "That wasn't a nice way to express your disapproval."

"Oh… sorry." He apologized.

"That's okay really, a trip to jungle it is." Frost stated.

An idea was flashed into my mind. "Well if you really want to see the city, maybe I can be your guide."

"That's an excellent idea; Bia was quite familiar with Rio. I'm sure they won't get lost." Mom said.

"You sure?" Dad asked, unsure; "Of course honey, they did come back safely yesterday right?" She stated.

Dad finally nodded his head. "Okay then, be safe. And if it's started to get too hot, please do return." He then added. "Anyone else want to join us?"

"I'll pass this time, Dad." Carla replied. "I've separated long enough with my iPod yesterday."

"I'm stay behind too." Mom said. "I am not in mood to exploring today."

Dad was perplexed by her replied, asked. "Really? You always the one who want to fly, metaphorically speaking."

"Yeah." She confirmed. "Besides, I want to tidy our home for a little bit, it's getting messy."

"Thankfully Carla stays behind." She smiled.

"Oh boy…" My sister sighed.

After bidding a farewell and some "be careful", we soared into the sky. "So Frost, where do you want to go first?"

He let himself dwell into his thought for a while, before setting his eyes on the enormous statue in the distance, "How about that statue?"

"The _Cristo Redentor?_ " I inquired. "That's a good choice, just wait until you see the view from up there."

We ascend into a higher altitude, the once tall and big skyscrapers were shrinked into multi-colored dots and the massive vegetation that once covered Rio's hill turned into a green wavy mat as the contour of the earth shaped it.

The skyline was crowded with humans do the hang-gliding, their bright colored hang glider adorned the skyline, adding the beauty to the already beautiful scenery.

We reached the outstretching arm of the statue, perching on it as we admire the scenery with all the senses we got. The sight was always amazed me, no matter how many times I've seen it. The air up here was fresh and full, the exact opposite from the puddling stale air from below. The beach was stretching further, extended the limited view from below, opening a new level of curiosity on what was there. I felt something in my soul, a spark. Something I hadn't yet got any explanation, but Dad told me it was the magic of Rio. I turned my head to see my boyfriend's face; he was struck in awe, his body didn't flinch for a seconds, paralyzed with the nirvana in front of him.

"Do you feel something?" I asked him.

"What do you mean?"

"Something in your soul?"

He closed his eyes for a few seconds, before slowly reopened them and smiled. "Yeah, I do feel it."

I walked closer to him, slowly as avoided to be carried away with the strong breeze that existed in higher altitude. He noticed my nearing presence, opened his right wing half-way, and let me snuggled into his embrace, encasing me.

"This place is paradise." I told him. "And I'm so lucky I could share it with you."

He rested his head against my forehead, gently adding the warm pressure to me. "Yeah… thank you for sharing this paradise with me."

Flattered, I pecked him on the cheek, which he replied with a smile. We continued to watch the scenery for a few moments, savoring every bits of this city had to present.

The sun's ray finally started to get hostile towards us, and judging by the current altitude we occupied, the heat would strike directly into us. The hostility also marked the end of morning, and the official start of afternoon.

Frost told me to find some shelter, somewhere shady to hide from the heat. He spotted the gazebo – more known as _Vista Chinesa_ and motioned us to pay a visit.

"Frost." I exclaimed; he turned his head to me. "Yeah?"

"Catch me!" I said, before speeding up.

He was delayed for a few seconds, before finally accept my challenge, pursuing me with all his might; and knowing his flying prowess, I realized it was a challenge I was doomed to lose from the beginning.

And to prove my theory, he already sandwiched me with his talons barely a quarter from our start and smiled victoriously. "That's it?"

"Yeah yeah, don't push it." I said sarcastically, yet also playfully. "You can let me go now."

He shook his head. "Nope, I'll be your carriage to your destination, milady."

My soul was tickled by his act, grinning, "As you wish."

Encased by his talon, my movements were restrained, but his presence was shielding me from the heating beam above, providing me with a shelter to our destination.

The _Vista Chinesa_ soon manifested, the landmark were amongst Rio's famous one, as the sight from the gazebo was incredible. On the other talon, it was also the place where Mom and Dad spending their first night together, one of their silk road to love.

Frost released me when we arrived on the scene, his eyes were cautious for a few seconds, as there was some kind of predator or something lurks in the vicinity.

Noticing his bizarre behavior, I couldn't help myself but asked. "Uh, is there anything wrong, Frost?"

He shook his head, "Nothing, really." But his words denied the reaction he possessed when a juvenile toucan suddenly appeared with a smile in his face.

 _So that's why he was acting all that weird._

I giggled at the realization. "Oh come on, Frost. They can't do anything harm to you."

" _Can't_? Did you see what they did to me yesterday?" He stated.

I chuckled, before turning my attention on the juvenile toucan. "Hello!"

" _Oi!_ " He replied. **[Hello!]**

" _Quem é você_?" I replied warmly. **[Who are you?]**

" _Eu sou Rodrigo, e vocês?_ " **[I'm Rodrigo, and you?]**

"What did he say?" Frost inquired.

"He just want to know us." I told him. " _Eu sou Beatriz;_ _você pode me chamar_ _'Bia'. Ele é Frost._ " **[I'm Beatriz; you can call me 'Bia'. This is Frost.]**

" _Você pode falar em Inglês?_ " **[Can you speak English?]**

" _Sim! mas_ _eu não posso falar_ _muito bem._ " He replied. "Just a little bit." **[Yes! But I can't really speak very well.]**

"Well that's fine! Where are you come from?" I asked.

"Oh! My family lives around here." He smiled. "I've never seen birds like you, what are you?"

"We are macaws." He tilted his head in confusion. " _Estamos araras, araras de spix._ " **[We are macaws, Spix's macaw.]**

He nodded his head. "I don't think I have seen you guys before."

 _Well of course because all of us are in the Amazon._

"Well, most of us are in the _Amazônia_ " I told him.

"What's an Ama…" before he could finished, a voice was calling his name in the distance. Alerted by the said voice, he bid us a farewell. "That's my _Mamãe_ , _tchau!_ " He then flew into the jungle.

"Where did you learn to speak like that?" Frost asked me. "That was amazing."

"Mom taught us to speak Portuguese." I replied. "You really never learn or hear any of these?"

"Well…" He paused for a few seconds. "Actually, I had heard them before, only I never know what that means."

"Maybe Mom can teach you, I'm sure she will gladly do that."

"Yeah, maybe." He said.

With the toucan gone, he released his tensed demeanor. My mind suddenly remembered the story about this place.

"Did you know that this place was the place where my Mom and Dad spent their first night?"

"Really? This is _Vista Chinesa_?" He asked, the way he pronounced Vista Chinesa was incredible, there's a hint of accent in his voice, although not as thick.

"Yeah, and did you realize that?"

"Realize what?"

"You maybe had learned some basic Portuguese, because the way you pronounced _Vista Chinesa_ was a top notch one!"

"Uh yeah." He scratched his head. "My Mom sometimes talked like that, guess that's the reason."

"Your Mom didn't teach you?"

He left silenced with my question, I could see his demeanor gloomed a little bit. My heart was telling me to not press the issue, but my head kept begging for reasons. Even after all this time, Frost was still a puzzle for me, mysterious and closed – although it wasn't as severe as before. His relationship with his Mom – as far as I could see – was fine and warm. Then again, I sensed something more than that, but knowing him, I decided to listen to my heart.

Motivated to cherish him back, I distracted our awkward conversation with the memories that existed in this place, hoping to lift his bad mood.

My eyes caught the breathtaking views from the site, "Frost, look." I told him.

He snapped out of the blue, his gloomy mood ended, replaced once again with awe. "This place was simply divine." He commented. "It's seems that every spot has the beauty of itself."

"I've got to agree, Dad told me that the view was even more beautiful at night." I sighed. "I wish I could see it myself."

"Why not?"

"Mom and Dad wouldn't allow me to stay up that late, even so to travel alone."

Frost nodded his head. "I'm sure you will get the chance one day."

"I hope so."

Our chats were cut by the grumbling noise from our stomach, craving for another daily sustenance as our breakfast had been successfully digested. The sun's ray was blocked by the clouds above, receding the heat slightly. We decided to take star fruits as breakfast, and Frost was eager to get some from the market instead.

He simply curious with the marketplace and humans, something I wasn't expecting him to say, nonetheless, I agreed.

We flew to the bustling marketplace, the noise from humans, vehicles, activities, were filling the air, as if they were racing to muffle each other. We flew towards the fruits vendor, searching for the yellow star-shaped fruits. The said fruits were abundance in number, we hopped from one stall to another, asking for their generosity, and mostly replied with a verbal jab that I was thankful Frost couldn't comprehend one bit. Our crusade to find our lunch finally paid off, a middle-aged female was generous enough to give us some, which we replied with thankful squawk.

We flew outside the busy marketplace, searching for somewhere quiet to enjoy our meal. The shady alley in the intersection was provided quite decent protection from both the heat and noise, as it was temporary a construction site.

The workers were also having lunch at this time, erasing any possible dangers that might hit us, as commonly found in the said circumstances. We perched ourselves at the platform that humans used to store some of their equipments and finally enjoying our meal.

My savory senses were tickled with the sweet and sour flavor from the fruit, craving for their delight at a greater scale, and before I knew it, the fruit had been disappeared, leaving behind the core which I wasn't fond to eat – the flavor was too sour.

Frost was eating the fruits whole, leaving not a single survivor of the fruits, I was craving for another one and with the fruits odd numbers; we shared the last one together.

He splitted the last fruit in a half – although it was more likely a quarter and third quarter – and claiming the small piece, offering me the huge prize instead.

"I've got big breakfast this morning; besides, I didn't really like star fruit."

I know he was lying, as I've seen him eating them a lot before, but his affectionate act plucked the strings in my heart, smiling. "Thank you."

"Anytime, my beautiful Bia."

Flattered, I said, "You sweet talker." He replied with a laugh.

We were relaxing for a little bit, letting our meal slide down for a little while before deciding our next expedition, my eyes caught something on the sky, their huge presence dotted the blue sky of Rio, and everyone would soon noticed what were they. Three eagles were flying in the sky, and by the looks of it, they were César and Selena – and the other one I wasn't sure who.

They also noticed us, diving to the ground and greeted us. "Well, look who's here?" César said warmly. "What are you guys doing here?"

Selena and the juvenile eagle followed him, tacking the platform with their enormous talons. "Enjoying the day I presume?" Selena inquired.

Frost quickly rose from his position, cleaning some dust that covered his plumage. "Quite correct, we were just finished our lunch."

"And who is this?" He asked, pointing the juvenile eagle.

"This is our son, Miguel." She stated. "Say hi to them."

" _!Hola!_ " He greeted.

"Hello!" We replied in unison. "So where you guys going?" Frost asked.

"Oh yeah, we are on our way to the club, the usual, you know." César replied. "Oh right! It's about to start!"

"We better get going now." César said. "See you later!"

His farewell was echoed with his family, their appearance soon faded with the wind.

"So what are we going to do next?" I asked, stifling a yawn.

"Hmm… I was thinking about visiting the beach, since we haven't yet got the chance yesterday." He then added. "But with heat like this, I wasn't sure it was a good idea, not to mention you are tired."

"Am not!" I denied, but my eyelids betrayed my denial, they were heavy.

He chuckled at my reaction. "Come on; let's get some nap for a while."

I wasn't contemplating any further and nodded my head; drowsiness already placed its spell on me.

Frost was carrying me again into the jungle, searching a tree that bore a hollow as our resting place. He finally spotted an unoccupied one and setting ourselves there.

I was in the between realm of dreamscape and reality, he placed some moss to comfy the spot, and placing me there. I snuggled closely to him, he enveloping me with his right wing, enjoying his comfortable embrace.

"Sleep tight, my love." His voice trailed off as I drifted away into my fantasy world.

I dwelled into the fiesta of color of my fantasy, heavenly scenery that existed from my sub-consciousness.

The vivid image and colors of my fantasy became blurred as consciousness returned me back to the real world, my wings were searching for his presence; only to found out he wasn't there. I opened my eyes, feeling fuzzy and blurry, gently rubbing my eyes with my wings.

Frost was perching on the hollow entrance; his eyes were closed, enjoying the less heated sunbeam that slowly retreated its way from the deeper section of the hollow, signifying the setting sun.

I walked my way towards him, my words broke his trance. "You didn't wake me up?"

He turned his head to me, smiling. "Nah, you are so peaceful with your sleep."

His act always been based on how much he loved me, and the warmth inside my heart never ceased as long as I had him, as long as our heart played those symphony.

I nuzzled his neck, in attempt to express my gratitude; he replied back – and being taller than me – nuzzling my forehead.

"I really wish we met sooner." I told him. "This is the greatest thing in my life to be with you."

"Me too Bia." He said, "Me too."

We soared into the sky, heading towards the _Copacabana_ beach. We banked south and the view of the majestic beach manifested. An epiphany was sparked as the sea transformed into a liquid gold, a sheer ripple was adding the after-effect of the heavenly sight.

We landed on the grainy substrate that covered the beach, feeling its friction against our talons as we walked our way around the beach. Frost was heading straight into the sea, "Water! Nice, I'm so thirsty."

Alarmed, I quickly informed him about seawater, but my words were drowned as he already dug his beak into the water, his face turned into a grimaced soon after.

His action tickled my soul, let a laugh existed into my expression. The said action also intrigued some humans; the majority of them bore bewilderment in their face, while others were laughing.

I fluttered to where he is, trying my best to suppress a laugh, but failed altogether. "Ugh what is this water? It's so… weird." He said, still grimaced with the aftertaste.

"Its seawater, they supposed to be _salty_." I said, chuckling.

"They are different?" He inquired.

"Well yeah." I confirmed. "Seawater was high on salinity, that's why they tasted like that, unlike Freshwater which really low."

He tilted his head, realizing this I added. "It's… how to put it… Ah yes! Later at home, I'll explain to you." I said. _Sure Linda has some salt._

He nodded his head, still attempted to remove those salty aftertaste from his mouth.

My eyes caught something in the distance; a coconut was lying on the sand. I fluttered to where the coconut is, inspecting its condition. And in sheer luck, a fissure was existed and my calculation telling me that opening the said coconut was possible – although I had to admit it would need an extra _extra_ effort to open it.

Frost soon joined me; his face was full of question. But before he asked, I already told him. "This is called coconut, you never taste one right?" He nodded his head in confirmation.

"Now it would need a very extra effort to open this, but with my calculation, it's possible." I told him, he nodded his head again. "Here's my plan, you take the right side, and I'll the other one. We flap our wings as hard as we can. That way the coconut will split."

"Okay then." He placed his talon on the left fissure.

"One, two, three, fly!" I exclaimed.

The coconut was proved to be sturdier than what I was expected, and with our lightweight body, the efforts were futile. We landed on the sand, panting heavily.

Frost was having another idea on his head; he dug his beak into the fissure, wiggling his head to create a bigger opening on the durable husk, and a reassuring noise from the coconut finally audible.

"It's working! Keep doing that!" I told him.

He increased his wiggling speed, but this time, the efforts were fruitless as the coconut didn't even flinch. He stopped for a few seconds, bobbing his head in attempt to get free, before ceasing his act altogether, admitting. "Uh Bia…" His voice muffled within the husk. "I think I'm stuck."

My soul once again tickled with his act, sending me into an uncontrollable laugh. "Yeah, very funny indeed," He said sarcastically, his voice pitched from the husk. I pulled his body from the ground, but the coconut still firmly glued to his beak.

I scanned the vicinity for something to help me released the coconut's grasp on his beak, unfortunately, none were available. My mind finally concluded the best solution available, and dug my beak into the other side of the fissure.

"Now, Frost, you…" I cut my words as I heard him laughing. "What are you doing?" He asked. "Helping?" I replied, noticing my pitching voice.

Amused with the humorous scene, he stated. "Okay but sing something first." He laughed vigorously.

I joined his laugh, knowing he was just joking – right?

"Okay what song is nice for now?" He asked amusingly.

"Let's just get this thing of." I said nonchalantly, although my beak curved into a grin with his question. "You wiggle to the left, I wiggle to the right and vice versa, got it?"

"Oh you have no fun; I almost get the right song." He stated. "Okay."

We started our plan, the noise of the husk being torn apart starting to became audible, we increased our speed and finally the husk split in a half, sending us plummeting into the grainy substrate below us in respectable direction.

"Whoa that was 'Fun'." Frost said, putting an emphasis on the word "Fun".

"Here it is, the coconut milk, it's delicious I promise." I said, offering him the other half.

He lowered his beak and slurping the sweet liquid, he lifted his head in delight, savoring every drop as his tongue licking his stained beak. "Hmm, you are right. That's delicious."

He dug his beak into the shell, exhausted the liquid in one noisy slurp, sighing blissfully. "This is the life."

I nodded my head in agreement, "Yup."

Leaving the coconut shell behind, we took a walk around the beach. The sun was halfway into the horizon, marking the official time of evening, but the beach still busy with activity, people play volleyballs, soccer. Some of them just chilling, others were playing with sands.

"Have you built a sand castle?" I asked him, the wave whisked our talons softly.

"What's a _castle?_ " He asked. I pointed at the grainy structure close by to tell him what I meant.

"Maybe we should make one." I suggested.

"I don't know, I never made one."

"That's why I'm here, silly." I retorted playfully.

We walked into another spot, where the combination of both sand and water were perfect. I told him to gain the sand, and we started to build our castle.

My imagination of my castle was simple; I started to build the rectangle shape of the base building, to make sure that the structure won't collapse when we started to make it taller. Frost was struggling with his imagination; he hadn't exactly seen any other buildings than trees in the Amazon, so his creation was based on trees or hills, creating a tower-like structure.

Accumulated enough sand as the foundation, I carved the roof into a pyramid shape, slowly adding the substrate to create the apex shape of the pyramid, my efforts were not in vain as the structure stood still. Frost creation adorned the main structure with multiple towers – the only thing that he could make – but the result was satisfying.

I let myself slowly adding the finishing touch, carving a contour and relief, adding the detail. The final result was incredibly appeased us.

"Not really that hard huh?" I asked him, "Even though you can only make one shape." I quipped.

"Well for my first time, it's still nice." He smiled proudly.

We sat beside our creation; a writing "Bia and Frost" was carved into the sand. The sun had finally decided to rest, its last light filtered the sky, creating hues of blue and red that adorned the scenery.

I let myself into his embrace, savoring each seconds of the sunset with him. He encased me with his wings, hugging me from behind as the sun slowly made its way into her resting ground, the atmosphere were quiet, save for the noise of the raging wave hitting the shore.

"I never imagine that one day I'll be here with someone I love." I told him.

"Well life is sure full of surprise, right?" He leveled his gaze as I turned over to face him.

We touched our beaks, as the sunset gleaming behind, creating a silhouette of us. "I love you Bia, with everything I had, with everything I got."

I closed my eyes; our hearts played the same symphony. "I love you too, Frost."

Heart is our instrument, and let love be the Maestro that played that instrument with perfect synchronizations. Let heart guide you, and finally the Symphony of Love will be heard, as we cherish each notes with our loved one.

The only problem is, Love isn't perfect…

* * *

 ** _A/N: okay I wasn't expecting this chapter to be THIS long. And yeah again I need the poll to be filled, just went sraight to my profile and spare just a teensy weensy time, it is important for me.  
_**

 ** _Please kindly leave a review and Thanks for reading._**


	7. Melodies

Chapter 7  
Melodies  
 _"For those who cherish each notes, shall know the struggle of a masterpiece"_

I've been told for a while that fighting within a relationship was something I should have expected, a few sour notes existed within a song that inevitable no matter what.

Our relationship so far was a flying color, a blissful one that succeed to avoid every social minefield, but deep down, I was sure that we would come into an argument one of those days, only 'when' was the question.

I wasn't expecting our argument would manifest soon enough – truth been told, they always strike where it was least expected. And my feeble emotion was easily provoked by their taunt, allowing Love's light that supposed to be my guide, blinding me with the intensity of scoping directly into the sun.

Then again, I wasn't prepared for such event to finally strike me, especially with our blissful memories yesterday.

* * *

My beak still possessed the smile I got from yesterday; our time together was very serene, something I was sure would be treasured for the rest of my life, and this morning, I was tempted to ask him to take another ride; hoping for the same result.

The morning was oddly quiet as the usual noise from my parents' chat would surely audible, not to mention I woke quite late today. I popped my head from my room, and only a single macaw existed.

Frost, as usual, perching on the platform with his eyes closed, letting the ambient atmosphere seeping into his core.

I once asked him why he did that, he simply replied that the activity brought peace and joy to his soul, allowing him to savor another day with a grin instead of a frown.

Meditation was something I was aware the fact about it. Although I hadn't yet bring myself to tried one. The prospect of standing still for a certain time was _boring_ to me – even I had to admit that I didn't get a slightest idea of gaining a peace and tranquility from standing still and closing my eyes.

I fluttered down next to him; the tacking noise from my talons hit the platform alerting him about my presence, snapping him completely out of his trance.

He turned his head to take a closer look on who was there, noticing me. "Well, who's decided to finally show up?" He asked playfully.

"Morning to you too!" I greeted him, we shared a brief kiss.

The oddness earlier hit the deck, my eyes scanned the surroundings for my parents, but not a single feather of theirs bore presence; Frost noticed my search quickly lifted his talon, revealing a white paper scribbled with writings on it.

I snatched the paper and read Dad's neat handwritings – talonwrittings.

 _Hello kids, Mom and I have gone to the market, we also going to be in Linda's bookstore, she requested some of our help. You guys please stay safe and don't do anything funny; otherwise you guys know the outcome. There are waffles for breakfast in the kitchen, hope you guys enjoyed it. We'll be back as soon as we can. Love, Mom and Dad._

A triumphant smile manifested in my beak as I've finished reading the message. The prospect of having waffles as breakfast ignited a spark of joy in my soul, as the said meal was amongst of my favorites. Frost sensing my inner jubilation, asked. "Well? You seem so happy."

"Waffles."

"Huh? What's a _waffle_?"

"Breakfast."

He nodded his head in understatement. "A new food huh? I hope it is as delicious as pancakes."

"Oh! So you like pancakes now, huh?"

"Well… yeah. I can't wait to taste those fluffy meals again, not to mention the sweetness they offer."

"You really like sweet thing don't you?"

"More than you know." He then put a grin. "But certainly, nothing compared to your sweetness, Bia."

I blushed with his compliment, his words touched my heart. "Thank you; I really like it when you call me like that."

"Anytime, my love."

The lustrous sunbeam finally reached its peak; signifying sunrise had passed and officially declaring the start of the day. I rested my head on his nape, enjoying his radiated warmth. "Do you think we will become mates one day?"

His eyes widened, and his body staggered a little. "Isn't it way _too_ early to talk something like that?"

"Why? You don't want to?"

"Uh… yeah of course, but… well…"

I giggled. "I'm just teasing, Frost. But I really hope our love can bloom into something greater in the future."

His nervous demeanor faded, replaced with a smile. "Indeed, Bia." He nodded twice. "Indeed."

My siblings finally awaked from their slumber, their soul also wondering the same question I had before. I passed them the message, their face lit up with joy as they finished reading it.

"Yeah! It's about time we got some waffles!" Tiago said jovially.

"I really hope we got pancakes, they are better than waffles." Carla stated.

"Every single person knows that waffles are better than pancakes." Tiago countered.

"Pancakes."

"Waffles."

"Okay okay, let's just get there now, huh? I'm hungry." Frost stepped up.

Tiago nodded and quickly rushed to the kitchen below our treetop abode, we rolled our eyes with his act, but joining him nonetheless.

The kitchen counter was filled with three plates. Each had single round waffles with some strawberries adorned the said meal, the fluffy white substances – whipped cream – also enhanced their appearances akin to the one I usually found in the recipe books.

Tiago quickly claimed one of them, reducing the waffles in a half around thirty seconds – a new record in my book – stopping himself only to drink from the faucet before resuming his attack.

We shook his head with his act; his beak was white thanks to the whipped cream. Noticing our looks, he asked. "What?"

"Oh brother…" Carla spoke up. "One of these days Mom's gonna fix that attitude of yours for sure."

"I'm just _enjoying_ my favorite food, that's just how I am." He smirked.

"Yeah sure it was. Talking to you is like talking to a wall, my words always bounced back."

The siblings' rivalry finally receded, and we started to enjoy our breakfast – except Tiago whom already reduced his portion into a quarter – Frost and I were sharing the waffles, he took the first small bite of the waffles and crushing them within his beak, the crunchy noise of the waffles being crushed was clearly audible, tempted me to take a bite.

His face was lit up with delight as the sweet waffles activated his savory senses, he allowed himself to claim a bigger chunk with whipped cream on it.

I finally decided to take a bite; the crunchy waffle was sweet in flavor and with the strawberries on it; the enchantment of the flavor was complete, it let me swallow the scrumptious treats with satisfying gulp.

The said waffle was exhausted within seconds, leaving no sole survivor that marking the existences of it. Frost's beak was stained with the whipped cream. "Uh Frost, you got something…" I told him, pointing to his mouth.

He circled his tongue around his lower beak. "There, did I get it?"

I leaned closer to him, giving him a short passionate kiss. "There… I get it."

Our affectionate act wasn't going on without notice; Carla and Tiago were cringed from the scene in front of them. "Please don't do that, especially in front of me." She protested.

"Yeah, it's already _cheesy_ enough with Mom and Dad and now, there are two of them."

Frost was chuckling. "Now then, when you get a boyfriend…" He paused. "Or girlfriend, in case of Tiago, you'll understand."

"I'm sure I won't be that sappy." Tiago remarked.

I rolled my eyes, but then stifled a giggle nonetheless.

Tiago hadn't yet satisfied with the meal; took a can of Brazil nuts from the drawer. "You guys want some?"

Carla shook her head, patting her plump belly. "Nope."; her reaction was repeated from us.

"How can you eat those nuts?" Frost asked. "It tasted weird."

"Weird? What do you mean?" Tiago replied, nonplussed. "I know it wasn't as delicious as the one in the Amazon, especially the one you picked." He licked his beak. "Aw man! Now you make me miss them."

"Sure there are some Brazil nuts here somewhere, right?"

"Nope." I replied. "I mean there are, but extremely rare to find."

"I wish we could use those nuts." Carla said. "It would seriously adding more taste to the waffles"

"Yeah, especially with the one Frost picked." I nodded in agreement.

We relaxed a little bit, letting our digestive system did its proper start up, before allowing the food to be processed. The sweet aftertaste of the waffles still lingered in my beak, reminded me forever of its delight.

"So, Frost, what do you think is better? Waffle or pancake?" Carla inquired.

The earlier rivalry was remerging. Tiago's ears perked up when the conversation brought up. With a stuffed beak, he joined us. "Wah, wo ehat yo anhew?"

We tilted our head, before bursting into a fit of laugh. "Swallow them first, Tiago."

He gulped the remaining nuts, repeated his question. "Yeah, so what is your answer? Pancakes or waffles?"

Frost was silent for few moments, before finally spoke up. "I think I'll go with… _ACHOO!_ "

" _Saúde!_ " We said in unison.

He rubbed his nostrils with his wings, repeated his statement. "I'll… _ACHOO!_ " His sneezed three times.

"Holy Feathers! What's wrong with me?" He rubbed his nostrils again. "Pancakes, that's what I wanted to say."

"I think _Frost got a cold_." Carla stated, involuntary creating an amusing pun.

I giggled loudly with her statement. "Did you realize what did you just say?"

Carla's face bore bewilderment for a while, attempted to comprehend what I meant. Her face soon replaced with a grin. "Oh right! Ironic."

Tiago and Frost were left dumbfounded with our giggle, they shot us a quizzical looks, demanding some explanation.

"You guys don't get it?" I inquired within my laugh. " _Frost got a cold._ Did you realize how ironic that is?"

"Oh…" They replied in unison.

"It's spoiled now." I told them, although my beak still curving a smile of amusement.

Tiago and Frost didn't share the laugh, but instead, returning to the previous conversation, "Why pancakes?" Tiago asked.

"Well for starters, the sweetness of the pancakes was mild and noticeable but not overpowering; the fluffy texture also amazed me. While waffles were indeed delicious, they were too dry and crusty. Both of them are very delectable, but I'll vote for pancakes."

"Ha! What did I tell you?" Carla quipped. "Pancakes two, waffles one."

Noticing his grumpy looks, Carla added. "Oh come on little bro! Cheer up!"

"This isn't over." He said.

"I think I'll vote for waffles." I stated, Tiago's face immediately bore a smile.

"Oh yeah, Bia." He hugged me to express his gratitude. "Now we are tied."

"Yeah sure whatever," Carla countered back. "I'm going back in my room; my ears itched to hear some music."

We nodded his head, her presence faded away with time.

My morning thought had return, and my mind already conjured the series of events that I would show him here in Rio. Our wonderful memories yesterday motivated me to ask him, and a simple few words already formed in my head, ejecting the question out of my central processing unit to my output device.

"So Frost, do you want to take another tour today?"

He was contemplating, his pale icy blue eyes bore unsure looks, he finally snapped, rubbing his nape – a non-verbal act to show me that he was going to decline.

"Uhm… yeah about that… I have something else to be done." He said nervously, "Maybe tomorrow?"

My mind demanded another answer, an explanation. "Huh? What is it?"

"Oh it's something… I'll tell you later okay?"

Even as my head keep demanding a more detailed, precise reason, I nodded my head. "Sure."

Tiago was leaving me alone soon enough after Frost's departure, leaving me alone with the deafening silence that trapped the room like a blanket.

My mind quickly searched for something to do. A few options were flashed into my mind, but the majority of them dragged me into a deeper state of expanding my knowledge, something I greatly enjoyed ever since I could comprehend words and numbers.

The fact that this world offered an unlimited streams of knowledge really excited me, giving me a never-ending quest in my life, something that made my life seems complete, until recently.

He stepped up, and all logic I've created faltered, a knowledge that not a single book possessed the right explanation, something that damaged my brain if I used them to decipher its code, Love.

When it comes to facts and figures, I could easily interpret them, as the sole purpose was clear and unambiguous, any person with a passion of learning would understand even the hardest calculation ever invented. Algebra? Calculus? Finite Element Analysis? It was simply evident and the result wasn't going to create a countless variables, they were always constant.

But when it comes to love, a feeling that I wasn't exactly sure how to explain it, my head already gave up from the very beginning. How come you perform a calculation for a reason if there was no base evidence and data on how it happens? Well, that was certainly impossible, even the most sophisticated of human's engineered machine would fail to do that.

So back to the question, how love's work? Simply a mystery to me. Every time I saw his scar, I remembered the sacrifice he made for me, the time when the eagles scooped me, even with all his pain – I was sure it was painful; the scar was crimson red, covering half of his face, not to mention he was unconscious for a day – he managed to ignore the pain, all because of me, his _love_?

So yeah, I decided to listen more to my heart aguish cry, and sudden realization hit me with a baseball bat. All the codes were decoded with ease, all the possibilities were ceased and replaced with truth, or was it? Was it the truth? Or just heart naïve decision?

If so, why? Why they were willing to do the sacrifice? Why they looked so selfless and why did they do that?

Frost was more than capable to understand the meaning behind all of this, his views were truly unique, and possessed a kind of intelligence that wasn't grounded with facts and figures, but rather from experience of his lifetime, allowing a much bigger picture than what it seems.

His attitude, his act, his smile all based on how much he loves me, how much he cares about me; those kind of things were enough to tell me that this was the truth, pretty much the reality I was looking from the very beginning, and certainly hope such act would not deteriorated by time.

Concluded, his presence always showered me with comfortable embrace that not even a single day I would ever missed without him next to me.

* * *

I was on my way to my room when Frost appeared on the kitchen window. "Bia! Um… where's Carla?"

 _Carla? What was he doing?_

I promptly ignored that certain thought. "She probably in her room, and don't even bother to knock, the world might go into an apocalypse and she wouldn't even noticed."

"What's and _apocalypse_?"

"Uh, it's not important."

He nodded his head, "Thanks, I'll see you later."

"Yeah," I replied, disappointed that he wasn't taking more time with me. Ever since we officially become boyfriend-girlfriend, I always craving for his presence near me, and today was no exception, with a greater magnitude than usual.

Shaking my head, I unfurled my wing and ascended into my treetop residence. My mind decided to take its daily dose of knowledge, skimming through my collection of books, I set my choice on the butterfly species instead.

My studies today were tasteless; something else took a higher resource on my concentration. My feeble emotion was sparked, the jealousy that existed since Frost asking about Carla. Why in the whole wide world he would asked about my sister? What was really happening?

A fit of giggle from my sister room's escalated the spark into ignition, and my body started to get seriously hot. I tried to ignore it, but it kept returned as their audible laugh taunting my emotion even more, and for the rest of the afternoon; my heart went blazing.

Mom and Dad finally returned somewhere near lunch, their voice greeted us. "Hey kids! We are home!"

I dared myself to peek up to the platform; two more macaws bore presence next to them.

Frost was scribbling something in his notebook, before closing it and placed it back in Tiago's room while Carla had her earphones stubbornly plugged into her ears.

Frost then fluttered next to me; I quickly hide my irritated mood, attempting to stay calm. "So Frost, what are you doing?"

"You'll know this evening." He smiled. "Now let's get some lunch, your Dad brought us something."

Dad was holding a plastic bag in his talon; its contents still a mystery to me, until he decided to reveal it when all the family was present.

The plastic bag contained a bigger version of açai berries, but with greenish petals on top – imagine you see a purple tomato.

Dad was smiling when he noticed our puzzled looks about those alien fruits. "You guys never tried this one, right?"

"What is that?" Tiago asked. "I never saw one."

"Mangosteen." Mom said. "I've never tasted one too; it's quite rare to find this kind of food here."

I was intrigued with the said fruits, pick one of them. "How do we eat them?"

"You open the skin first." He then creating a fissure in the fruit with his talon, before jerking it off, revealing a whitish-sweetish-fruit on the inside, their appearances resembles oranges, only white in colors. "Here try some."

I took one piece of the mangosteen and put it in my beak. The burst of flavor hit my tongue really hard. It was sweet and sour at the same time, and I had to admit that it was delicious.

My facial expression brought reassurance to my siblings; within seconds, they already took one piece each, and their face shared the expression I had before.

"Wow this is nice!" Tiago said.

Mom and Dad were smiling. "Well, since we are in Rio, I think it would be a sin if we don't try some exotic fruits here." Dad said.

"Yum! Thanks Dad!" Carla stated. "…and Mom."

"You're welcome sweetie." Mom said, chuckling.

"Alright guys! Dig in!" Dad exclaimed.

In my terms, the feast lasted around ten minutes, while the fruits were very delicious, the setback wasn't exactly nice – and not to mention Tiago was _on the loose_ , the occasion became _sticky –_ literally.

The ooze that covered our plumage was beyond unbearable, Dad decided to take some bath in the stream, but objection was heard when the declaration wasn't validated from us. In an easier alternative, we decided to take the kitchen sink as our bath-place.

Frost was also bothered with the stickiness, quickly rushed to the kitchen, but in respect of the females, he acted like a gentleman. "Ladies first."

I was thankfully relieved when the water finally hit my body, sending the ooze, dirt and dust accumulated from the last few days away from my body. Not only rejuvenating my body, the bath also ceased my jealousy earlier – well, almost.

We made our way into the kitchen window, with extra efforts – thanks to our damp feathers – basking in the sun's heated ray to dry our feathers.

Frost was glued his eyes on me, a look of awe. "Wow… you look so…h-"

"Well?"

"Pretty." He stifled a cough.

I blushed with his compliment. "Thanks."

He walked closer to me, but I inched away from him. "I just cleaned up; you should do the same if you want to touch me or anything." I quipped.

He lifted his wing and made a saluted movement. "Yes Ma'am."

He disappeared into the kitchen, relieving himself from the sticky ooze. He came back around four minutes, his periwinkle feathers were more purple thanks to the water.

We perched ourselves at the tree's branch located somewhere near our residence, the process wasn't taking more than six minutes and two point five seconds as the hostile ray of Rio existed today; in fact, we almost dried to the core if we stay any longer.

Returning to the kitchen in order to quench our thirst, Frost was having a conversation with my parents. I wasn't sure what they were talking about, Dad's face formed unsure looks, but later replaced with a smile – extra nod.

"Okay then, Carla!" He approached her, she nodded and they both flew away.

The mere sight was invoking the jealousy that almost terminated sometimes ago; their behavior ignited the small flame into a blazing hurricane of fire.

My mind was looking for every reason, and the majority of them offering the worst case scenario, something that intensified the jealousy even further, until it reached the point where it started to blind me.

My heart aching every time I thought that he didn't love me anymore. He declined my kind offer, spending time with my sister instead. I wasn't good enough for him? I wasn't his best interest anymore?

The fraction of the recent compliment of his didn't recede even a single magnitude of my anger, my jealousy; in fact, the occasion increased my jealousy with zeal. Something that wasn't ever present within my soul before.

His words were ringing loudly to me, after all this time, was it all a lie? Was it only something he did to get close with my sister?

My face turned into a gloom, akin to Rio's when a squall was approaching. Even with my best effort to conceal my feelings, I know my face wasn't going to fool anyone.

Mom and Dad were asking us to visit the jungle, which my little brother was more than eager to go. I was tempted to go too, but with Frost and Carla being alone together, I wasn't going to take any chances. I shook my head, a non-verbal action to say "No."

Dad noticed my gloomy mood, asking "Hey, what's going on with you?"

Wiping the distressing looks from my face, I faked my demeanor. "Nothing Dad, really." I smiled forcefully. "You guys can have fun, I… uh… I have some books to read."

His face radiated concern, a fatherly look that concerned for his progeny well-being, "You sure? You know you can tell me everything."

My chest was going to burst up, as my emotion overwhelming my senses, but my logic trapped them within a cold blooded calculation; encasing those feelings in a logical cocoon, restraining any burst.

"No Dad, really I'm fine." I stated nonchalantly.

Convincing him was extremely difficult, and the prospect of the big bang in my heart that threatened to destroy the said cocoon motivated me to quickly drift away from him, bid him a quick goodbye and retreating to my room. "I need to get going, Bye Dad, Mom, Tiago."

"Do you think she is alright?" Mom asked, worry present in her voice. But the rest of the conversation was no longer audible as I've reached my room.

My eyes finally gave up, hot tears finally streamed down my face, the burst penetrated the cocoon and I cried my heart out. It was agonizingly hurt, something more than every single physical pain I've ever gained in the past. My tears lasted one full hour, before it drifted me into dreamless sleep.

I woke up sometimes around late afternoon. The sun was already sinking in the horizon, a beautiful sight of the tinted sky failed to lift my mood, the fresh cuts in my heart still throbbing badly, my soul was broken beyond repair, and my beak was dry.

I fluttered to the kitchen counter to quench my thirst, the cool liquid finally cooled down my throat, when suddenly he arrived.

My anger sparked up when I saw him; nonetheless, I acted like nothing was happening.

"Ah there you are! I've been looking everywhere for you?"

"Really? You were looking for me?" I stated sharply.

He felt the stab, replied. "Um… yeah, is anything okay?"

"Why do you care?"

Nonplussed, he asked. "What do you mean? What happened?"

"Stop hiding the truth Frost, I know everything."

He looked surprised at first, but then smiled. "Yeah, don't you like it?"

 _Like it? What's wrong with him?!_

"Like it? Did you really ask me that?" I said, irked.

"Well yeah." He rubbed his nape. "I think you will like it…"

His words were enough to ignite my rage.

"Like it?! How could you ask me that?! That I like you with my sister?!" I yelled.

"What?! N-" I cut his response. "Oh don't you deny that again! I know that you prefer to spend your time with Carla rather than me!"

"Just admit it! Why don't you tell me that you want to be with her in the first place?! Do you know how hurt this is?!"

He left stunned, but before he could speak, I already released a barrage of insult. "Just go, I don't want to see you again! **I hate you!** "

He wasn't attempted to reply anymore, but his eyes shot me a _very_ hurtful looks. He sighed, nodded his head and flew away.

It was also when I realized that Carla was watching the whole scene. Her eyes were widened in shock.

"What are you doing? What's gotten into you?"

Irked even further, I replied sharply. "Oh hahaha, look who's here! My sister that took my boyfriend!"

"Bia!" She yelled at me.

"Really sis? You want me to keep silent after what you've done? What a pity?"

" **Bia!** " She yelled with the intensity I've never seen her doing that before.

I silenced my blabbering. "I am not taking your boyfriend! He was just asking me for help."

"Really? That's your reason?" I chuckled dryly. "Come with a better one next time!"

She was glaring dagger at me. "That's how you look at me? A rival? A threat?"

She sighed before resuming. "No, He was just asking me for help with Portuguese."

"Why didn't he ask me then, huh? Why you?"

"Because it was for you," Carla declared. "He didn't want to spoil it."

My mind still looking for the reason to justify my action, even my heart already possessed a guilt. "Tiago?"

Carla rolled her eyes. "You really are blinded don't you? Until you can't think straight?" She sighed. "Tiago wouldn't even let Frost live if he heard the kind of words he was asking."

"Frost love you Bia. His love is pure. I'm the one should've been jealous to you. You had a perfect boyfriend, the one that would do anything to make you smile. Don't you realize that? He will never cheat on you, and certainly not to your sister."

"He is cute and all, but not my type." Carla said.

My anger flushed away completely, although my head still demanding a reason, my hurtful heart was more dominant in my soul, and tears flowed in my cheek.

"I… I'm…"

"Did you ever let him to explain?" She asked. I shook my head.

"What's gotten into you Bia? I've never seen you doubt like this before."

"I don't know." I replied weakly. "I just don't know what went wrong."

Carla walked towards me and hugged me. "Now there Bia, I'm sorry if you felt like that." She added. "I've never meant to hurt you; you are my little sister, the one I love as a family, and there's no way I'll broke your heart."

I hugged her tightly. "I'm sorry, sis."

"There is one more you need to apologize." She released her hug. "And tell him how much you love him."

"But I don't know where he is…" I sniffed.

"Vista Chinesa." Carla remarked. "He is probably there."

"How did you know?"

"He spent his entire day preparing a surprise for you, not even me knows the exact details, but you should probably head there."

I nodded my head, "Thank you sis, and sorry for everything."

"It's okay, Bia. We all made mistakes, now don't make him wait any longer."

I fluttered into the kitchen window, tasting an ample of the sunset ray basking me, before heading to the gazebo.

My flight was filled with anxiety. _Will he ever forgive me? Will he still love me?_

The said landmark was materialized, I spotted a blue figure perching on it, adjacent to him bore two presences of Brazil nuts.

My heart melted, my tears returned as his existence manifest, I fluttered down and perched next to him. His face reflecting the broken soul he possessed.

He noticed my arrival, the hurtful demeanor in his face persisted. He stared at me blankly, before returning his gaze into the sunset.

I decided to break the ice. "Frost…" I said weakly. "I…"

"You know, Bia." He cut me. "I've been thinking lately about us, about everything."

He turned his head to me. "I've always love to see you around, our time together, the laugh we shared." He inhaled a deep breath, and exhaled it hardly. "My sole reason to face another day… is you."

"My scar is the prove that I've set my heart for you, till something do us part, and no matter how hard I tried to erase this scar, I can't."

My heart was agonizingly hurt when he told me that. _He hates me? He hates me._

"That's right…no matter how hard, it will remain." He looked at the sunset; his pale icy blue eyes reflected the sunbeam. "Just like my love for you. It would never fade, no matter how hard I tried."

My tears were streaming fast in my cheek with his confession, his love left undamaged, his love left unscathed.

He sighed. "I should probably go; I hope you'll find someone else better than me in the future."

My heart screamed, my sobbing become uncontrollable, and I'll let my heart guide my next action. I halt him and wrapped my wings around his neck, kissing him with an unadulterated passion, letting all my love for him manifest.

He was surprised at first, but later embracing my kiss, replied with the same passion.

Our kiss lasted as long as our lungs allowed, breaking only when the supply of oxygen in our lungs exhausted. "Please don't go, you are the one for me…" I nuzzled his chest.

He enveloping me with his wings; radiated the warmth I never felt before. "I'm not going anywhere." He said.

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry."

He lifted his wing, wiping the tears out of my eyes. "Don't cry… I'm sorry too…"

I smiled with his affection. "I don't hate you, Frost. I love you, love you for everything."

We nuzzled our beaks. "I love you too, Bia."

The sunset had finally passed, and the city of Rio lit with marvelous light, I was cuddling closely to him, enjoying the late night scenery.

"I can't believe you managed to convince my Dad."

"Well for you, I'll do anything." He stated, offering me the Brazil nut. "I don't know the taste yet, although I was surprised to found that close to the city."

I accepted his kind offer. "Thank you."

We cracked the Brazil nuts, and took a bite of the said meal; our face shared a grimaced looks. "This was even worse than the one we ate from the can." He ditched the nuts.

"But you waste the entire day to find one."

"Doesn't matter, it is not edible. I'll go grab something else."

I halt him. "No… just stay here."

He folded his wing, returned to my embrace.

"I heard you learn Portuguese from Carla, can I hear that?"

He scratched his head. "Oh yeah about that, I kinda left my notebook." He then added. "But I remember something."

"Really? Let's hear it."

" _Meu único amor é você, Bia._ " He said, his pronunciation was spot on, hitting the romantic feelings with ease. **[My only love is you, Bia]**

"That's the only thing I remembered." He scratched the platform.

"That's beautiful." I smiled, snuggling to his chest.

He set his eyes on the city below. "Your Dad is right. It is more beautiful at night."

"Yeah, it is." _With you by my side, every moment is beautiful_.

The moonbeam shone brightly with its translucence light, radiating its silvery beam upon us as we enjoy the peaceful night together.

* * *

The melodies of love is always soft and perfectly tuned, we lost in the comfort sometimes, but as the crescendo finally took part, some of us lost in the pace, sour notes started to became clear as the synchronous of the instruments and those who played it is finally tested.

A symphony contains a lot of them: notes, crescendo. Just like love, they contained a lot of surprise, something you wouldn't expect, and the aesthetic reasoning behind the creation of one is beyond logic to describe. The abstractness of love isn't easy to understand, but indeed a masterpiece.

Only sometimes, not everyone understands the Value of a certain masterpiece, they seek reasoning, they seek explanation, and in the end, it only crashes down, as not a single explanation will match perfectly with the maestro who wrote them.

Simply, a symphony is a creation of perfection? Birth from musical instrument, and played by a maestro. All of them are imperfect, instruments should be tuned from time to time, and a maestro should practice from time to time, but how come their creation is perfect?

The answer is "no". Symphony isn't perfect, and would never be, but how imperfections still praised as a masterpiece?

Conclusion, Love isn't perfect… but like a true maestro – for no apparent reason – they always try to shine the brightest and become one.

All because Love simply required no reason, they just happen.

* * *

 ** _A/N: hello guys, I was requested by someone to include their Oc's in my story. truth been told, I wasn't expecting the request, but I'll certainly honor the one who asked me._**

 ** _and yeah, again with the polls. it would be closed when I posted the next chapter. curently, I'm opening to suggestion on what should I write, this is the point when I only had some shards for my next stories, and I also accept collab, just PM me._**

 ** _Thanks for your viewership, I can't thank you guys enough._**


	8. Estrela, Constelação

Chapter 8  
Estrela, Constelação  
 _"Que está seu constelação?"_

The serene night was blessed upon the inhabitants of the marvelous city of Rio de Janeiro, breaking only by a muffled noise of a song and laugh from the people below. Two macaws were enjoying the tranquil night in the famous landmark of Vista Chinesa, admiring the beauty of the night sky.

It was quite rare to find such clear scenery of stars dotted the vast inky skies here in Rio. Usually if it wasn't clouds, the light below was enough to bloat the tiny sparkling stars, and therefore, their presence forgotten.

But not all of the breathings forgot their existences in the sky, some were still admire the adorning diamond blanket, using a telescope to understand them even further, or just enjoying their mere sight in the sky.

Their eternal companion, the moon was also shone brightly with its silvery radiance. Silently enveloping the unaware city with her translucent light, even no one was bothered enough to see her, to enjoy her soft touch.

The loneliness of the night had to offer was quite ironic, people was too caught up with the golden orb until they forgot that his sister existed, the one that illuminated the night sky without reason, the one that always existed to give the night a little light, a little hope. A promise that the sun would rose again tomorrow, to let the world enjoy another day.

The dotted stars brought some thought to the young couple as they snuggled together closely, strengthening their recently damaged bond, forging the said chain into a more stronger – and hopefully – unbreakable that would endure even with the harshest strain the reality would offer.

Bia's mind was filled with adoration at the clear sight of the starry sky, her mind conjured a series of knowledge she possessed about those stars, and knowing her loved one's "obsession" with the self-illuminating diamond, she know that he would enjoy some stories about them.

Her eyes scanned the dotted stars, performing a mental calculation and imaginary line across the stars – _estrela_ , in the local language – forming a more complicated web of connection each star passes by.

Those webs were delicate, delicate to be forgotten as the understatement to admire their beauty was quite high. But with some passion of the learning, Bia's understatement developed that a certain constellation were easier to spot, as their light intensity sparked a jealousy among others that bloated by theirs.

Constellation had existed for almost the entire human race existed; their light was still the same even after countless time of this planet aging, yet those still shone brightly in the night sky, allowing the humans and some other creatures to admire their presence for almost the eternity.

Their presence was more than just simply aesthetic design, but for something more, a bigger picture; they lead to a supreme purposes. For almost centuries, those stars had lead humans on their founding, to determine the weather, prosperity, fortune, you name it. And those believes survived in the modern days, as their existence could be tested.

Birds used them for migration, allowing them to safely return home, and cherish their short time with their family, guiding them to face the darkness of the night, a metaphor of hope.

Bia was finally assured with the facts in her head, she gently move her head to level her gaze with her loved one, her one and only. Their eyes locked, mesmerizing each other with their respectable colors.

In her heart, he would always remain there, her constellation. That somehow, his presence would endure the test of time, and finally reunited with him when the times come by, to spend their short life with the fullest, enjoying Love and its blessings with him.

Frost mind was filled with awe and jubilation, he never imagined that the angel would ever fell in love with a humbly peasants like him; something he wouldn't expect, but his love was true, as he could feel the beating of those love, signifying that it was indeed alive.

"Frost." Bia said, her eyes still glued with her love's icy blue eyes.

The male macaw formed a smile, "Yes, my love?"

Bia's heart was bursting, every time his soft voice reached her ears, the sensation in her tiny heart was beyond words to explain, it always brought smile to her beak, a reassurance that he would be there, he would be with her, the comfort that radiated from his existences beside her.

She lifted her wing, pointing the sky. "Do you know about constellation?"

His face bore a quizzical yet curious looks; even after all this time, he wasn't yet fully understand everything she said; spending his life in the jungle for the almost his entire life was something she should expect that not all of the knowledge in this world would easily digested with his brain.

"I can't say that I have." Frost said. "What is that?"

Bia fell silent for a few moment, her wing was the only one thing moving. "You see those stars?"

Frost nodded, he fixed his gaze where his girlfriend wing was pointed.

"Now connect those one with the one here." Bia moved her wings straightly, connecting the stars with an imaginary lines. "And there, and there."

Frost was struggling to keep track at her movement in the sky, nonetheless he finally understood; in his eyes, the imaginary lines were manifested slowly, understating the fraction of the much complex and delicate lines, formed with guidance of his loved one.

Bia then looked at her boyfriend's face, to ensure that he wasn't lost and confused. A smile was formed when she realized that he understand the lines.

"That one called Orion."

"Orion?"

"Yes, the hunter; the one and only lover of Artemis."

Among their beauty and purposes, constellation sometimes contained a story with them. Memories of a certain tragedy, incident, happiness, or despair in the past; the lessons that pasted onto the self-illuminated diamond that lasted for almost eternity, to ensure those lessons learned for another day.

"Artemis and Orion?" He asked.

"The sad story about certain thing in love." Bia told him, "A lesson for us to understand the sacrifice of love."

 _Artemis and Orion…_

 _Artemis was a goddesses of the moon, a virgin for the eternity, a vow that she wouldn't broke; she was also a hunter, the one that her aim would never missed her prey, it was also when she encountered with him, Orion._

 _Orion, a hunter, just like Artemis coincidentally met in their quest to hunt; ever since, they hunt together, bonding a forbidden love._

 _Artemis' vow was the only thing that separated the unification of Orion and her, her love willing to break her vow? But before she could do much, Apollo took part._

 _He is the sun, the man of the man, the one that shines the world. He didn't like his sister broke the vow for some mortal, especially Orion that one day could outshine him. In the attempt to stop the cataclysmic events – for him, he turned Orion into a stag._

 _He challenged Artemis to shot the stag from across the horizon, which she accepts; unbeknownst to her it was Orion, her loved one. In the aftermath, when she realized that she just killed her loved one, she dwelled into a great grief, the lost of her only love…_

 _She later shot Orion into the sky, in promise. "Let me saw thy every night and cherish my love for thee."_

 _And so on the constellation was made, and every fifteen days, the moon and the stars will met each other; let Artemis remember that Orion would always be her only love as she cheered every moment they shared… for the eternity._

 _"When you missed me, just look at the night sky."_

"Quite saddening isn't it?" Bia said, her soul staggered with the unfortunate stories.

Frost enveloping his girlfriend with his wings, attempted to console her. "At least they can see each other."

The moon and the constellation shone brightly, smiling to each other as they reunited, and their love inspired any mortal below, to stay true with your loved one; when death do they part, their love had never been apart.

Bia eyes were sparkled with tears; the tragic story was dwelling into her soul, as she afraid that she would hurt her loved one, just like she done to Frost today.

But her boyfriend had different views, while he did think that it was indeed tragic; the message of the story was clear to him. He hugged her girlfriend more tightly, radiating his warmth to cast her sadness away.

Bia's heartstrings plucked with his act, enjoying his embrace seeping into her heart. The tears finally gone, replaced with a smile. "Thank you."

Her boyfriend only flashes her a warm smile, a gesture that he understood the sincerity within her words.

Bia then continued her search for the constellation, she set his eyes on her favorite.

She drew the pattern with her wing, creating the imaginary pattern from the stars in the sky; she stopped to inspect his boyfriend's reaction, noticing his confused looks.

"Okay you see that star over there." Bia pointed at the direction southern hemisphere. "That one called Vega."

"From that, get across to there, and there and there." She declared, creating a parallelogram shape, "Now the 'tails'." She continued her drawings, creating a triangle-like shape.

Frost's eyes soon saw what Bia meant, he nodded his head and urging her to continue. "That one called Lyra, my favorite."

"How so?"

"Because the story behind it is so beautiful."

"Hm… really?" Frost inquired.

"Yeah…"

 _Lyra, the lyre._

 _Lyra was the instrument played by Orpheus, the son of Apollo, the one that bring Orpheus and his wife, Eurydice together._

 _Eurydice was killed one day when a snake bite her and poisoned her, Orpheus was devastated, decided to pay the underworld a visit, hoping he could take his wife back._

 _In the attendance of Persephone and Plot, whom charmed with his music, allowed him to take his wife back to the world of the living; only to find out that she couldn't survive, as being a spirit._

 _Orpheus was driven mad, he lost his wife – twice, and refused any other women companion. This brought anger to the women; they threw rocks at him in express of their anger. Nonetheless, he played his lyre to calm them down, but their anger deafening their ears, leaving Orpheus within their mercy._

 _Muse later buried his body and casted the lyre into the sky, the constellation of true love, the instrument that proved the strength of it, the one that wouldn't deteriorate by time._

 _In the aftermath, Orpheus and Eurydice spent their life together in the underworld, reunited._

"What do you think?"

"That was beautiful, quite tragic actually."

"Yeah, but those are proves, right?" Bia asked.

"Hm…?"

"That true love does exist, until death do us part, until death brings us together."

Frost nodded his head in understatement. "Yeah." He nuzzled his girlfriend.

The night got older each passing time, the noise from the city below had ceased, replaced with tranquility that shrouds the air almost in deafening intensity.

The said circumstances – however – wasn't inflicted any damage to their togetherness, their mind and vibrant eyes still eager to uncover the stories behind countless constellation in the sky.

An epiphany struck in Frost mind – being a macaw that always adored the night – provided a bigger picture on what they seems, on what they look.

He always love the night sky, reminded him of his mother when he asked the whereabouts of his father; someone that he never met in his entire life, but always gave him a sense of yearning.

The mere fraction of his whereabouts in the sky already spared him some of those sensation – although wasn't strong enough – still providing him with a least consolation, every time he felt alone, left out.

But with his time with Bia together, the sensation was buried deep down in the void as her presence gave him some consolation, prepared him to face the world. Another realization, knowing that his Father was smiling to him, that he wasn't lost in the pit of grief and hatred, but thaw in the radiated flame of Love.

Bia's eyes scanned the sky for another constellation, her eyes spotted the astrological constellations, she even remembered the mnemonic she used to remember them.

 _The ram, the bull, the heavenly twins,  
And next the crab, the lion shines,  
The virgin and the scales,  
The scorpion, archer, and the goat,  
The man who holds the watering-pot,  
And fish with glittering scales._

She attempted to spot every single one of them, but the only one visible was the Lion, Leo.

She nudged Frost, "Check this one." She lifted her wing again, pointing at the said constellation.

Frost momentarily confused, and Bia was perceptive enough to notice Frost-tinted-bewilderment face, he grabbed Frost wing. "Follow my wing."

He follows Bia's wing in perfect synchronization, let her guided him just like how her love had guided him before.

"That one called Regulus, the brightest star in Leo's constellation."

"Leo?"

"Um… yeah. Why?"

"That's my Father's name." Frost stated simply, his beak possessed a grin.

"Oh really?" Bia asked.

"Yeah."

"Okay, now follow me to create the constellation." She grabbed his wing, drawing the imaginary lines. "That is Leo."

His soul was filled with jubilation. The truth is, he never knew where his father was located in the vast sky; he only believed that his father was somewhere up there, never missed a day to watch his progeny grew strong. His quest finally paid off as his whereabouts finally declared clearly in the night sky.

The constellation shone brightly, as he was smiling that his son finally spotted him, giving him some of his greetings he could never had, twinkling with enthusiasm to declare his triumphant smile.

Frost noticed the twinkle, whispering softly. "Good night, Dad." The twinkling intensifies, as if laughing in joy.

Bia's eyelids started to drop as drowsiness finally placed its spell on her, softly drifting her into sleep; Her head pressed onto Frost body. He smiled at his girlfriend's sleeping form, carefully moved to avoid woke her up, he lifted his head once more into the his father's constellation. "Don't worry, Dad. I'll take care of her."

The sky finally concealed beneath the clouds, the silvery radiance of the moon filtered by the black clouds, dimming the mood slightly. Frost carefully lifted his loved one's body and carried her home.

The sight of the treetop residence they currently occupied materialized and no slight sound were heard. The whole family had driven into slumber, to gain energy and face another day, a promise called tomorrow.

Frost carefully placed Bia in her moss-padded bed, kissing her on the cheek. "Sweet dreams my love, I'll join you soon."

She stirred a bit, opening her eyes. "Uh where are we?"

"In your room," Frost smiled. "Now get some sleep, we got a huge day tomorrow."

"Um… Frost," Bia suddenly spoke, halting Frost half-way.

"Yes?" He turned back to her.

"I'm cold…" Bia said softly, shivering. "Can you sleep with me here tonight?" She pleaded sweetly.

Frost couldn't ignore his girlfriend request, walked closer to her. "Sure."

He placed himself beside Bia, enveloping his wing to her body as she snuggled closely to him, radiating the warmth she yearned for.

"Better?"

"Much better," Bia replied, her voice trailed as she drowned in her slumber.

"I love you, Frost. Good night."

His beak curved a smile akin to crescent moon. "Sweet dreams." He said, slowly drifting into his dreamscape, preparing his body, mind and soul for tomorrow.

 _"To face another day with her and cherish every moments together."_

The stars represent the single soul in the universe, lonely to face the unlimited universe, connected to each other with the lines, creating a constellation. Another representation is about hope, thousands are casted into the sky, reminded every breather below about the wish of someone, a story to be told. Let them be spared from the bitter truth, and learn to be better without experiencing those grieves.

The constellation resembled the connection we have with each other, a connection that existed in the name of Love.

As brothers

As sisters

As parents

As chicks

As lovers

As mates

As friends

All round up with a clear strings that connected us together, the one that certainly unbreakable and hopefully lasted until the end of time.

To remember this valuable lessons, sometimes it is as easy as realizing it by yourself, to put those lessons directly into your life.

Place yourself as the starting star, draw every people you care as another stars, connect them with the line that binds you together.

What is your constellation?

* * *

 ** _A/N: Hello! it's finally done! I could finally breath a sigh of relief that this chapter finally done. My writings was turned from worse to horrid thanks to the third person perspective; the exact reason why most of my stories are written in first person.  
_**

 ** _polls is closed, the result is yes. my next stories will shared the universe of Love's eternal light, you guys really like Frost do you? :D_**

 ** _As always, thanks for your support, I can't express how much I owe you guys._**

 ** _P.S : If you found this P.S, that means the chapter had been refined, I Hope you enjoy the tweak (For those who had read the original one) or enjoy this story (For those who haven't)_**


	9. Trust Your Gizzard

**_It's pretty unusual to found an author note up here isn't it? well just a quick snap, We have guest star this time, Jameson the Owl. I am greatly thankful to him for lending me his OC._**

* * *

Chapter 9  
Trust Your Gizzard  
 _"To face the brewing storm, Fly inside."_

A jolt of chilling air was pulling me back into the real world, leaving the afterimage of my wonderful multi-colored pastel fantasy realm behind. The noise of the rain drumming the roof was muffling the ambient noise, but not hard enough to wake the snoring inhabitants.

My eyes were fuzzy when I opened them; they revealed a blue distorted figure sleeping next to me. I was momentarily confused when my eyes regained its focus, revealing it was Bia that cuddled next to me. My left wing was acted as a cushion and the other one as a blanket.

The memories of the previous night finally resurfaced, and my bewilderment replaced with smile that curved in my beak. My eyes inspected the sleeping angel next to me as my heart fluttered with her presence.

Her beak was curved into a smile, a serene dream she was having – I presume. I gently peck her on the cheek, to show my affection towards her without woke her up. Her smile grew bigger, and she pressed her warm body closer to me.

"Is that you, Frost?" She muttered within her sleep.

"Yes Bia, it's me." I whispered softly.

Her beak continued to possess those smiles as she drifted again into her sleep within my warmth, her mere sight was enough to dull the chilling sensation I experienced previously and enjoyed the moment.

The sky, however, had a different thought. A loud crackle was splitting the air, jolting Bia from her slumber. Her eyes were wide in shock, and her tiny heart was beating vigorously.

"Shush…shush…" I calmed her. "It's just a thunder."

She then released the tension within her demeanor, fixing her gaze to me.

"Hello there sleeping beauty." I quipped.

"Morning, Frost." She said, stifling a yawn.

"Morning to you too."

We then rose from our position, stretching our stiff body as I walked to the entrance of her room. The gray angry clouds were completely dominating the sky of Rio today and no single drop of the golden ray succeeded in penetrating the clouds.

The rain was remarkably cold compared with the one in the Amazon, the sea was to blame – courtesy to Bia, that the reason why such temperature existed.

Bia was busy preening herself, trying to make herself presentable. She then hopped next to me when she finished. The chilling sensation from the rain allowed her to gain an excuse to keep snuggling closely to me.

"You said that you wanted to take me to another tour yesterday, where?"

"Oh, there's a place somewhere near the Sugarloaf Mountain…" I cut her.

"Sugarloaf Mountain?"

"I know it sounds silly but bear with me." She chuckled. "There's a spot where many flowers grow, you'll be surprised with the scenery, and it is very awesome."

"Don't get your hopes high." I said, chuckling. "The rain hasn't yet stopped."

"That's the problem, isn't it?" Bia said sarcastically.

I simply rolled my eyes. "Don't worry, the storm will pass."

Bia then decided to dwell into her study, picking one of the books before rushing back to me. To preserve the book, I walked back inside, allowing no rain would do the harm to the knowledge's-door-thing.

She was bringing a book about Rio: history, climate, landmarks, every single thing about this marvelous city was printed neatly inside the book. She explained that Rio was among the area where the squall could be fierce, as the _El Ninõ_ effect was among the reason why. The other reasons were Rio was a coast city where the sea and land met, this allowing the brewing storm from other "dry" countries to approach Rio de Janeiro easily.

Monsoon, as Bia called it, was the result of the approaching storm from beyond the horizon, creating a whiplash of rain, thunder and hostile breeze.

"Here in Rio, there's nothing called weak storm."

And to prove her theory, a loud crackle of the lighting fork pierced the air, ringing my ears for a few seconds. "See?" Bia said proudly.

I could only nod my head as I recovered my fastened heartbeat to its normal speed. The thunder was startling me real good this time.

We continued to explore the book – well, I was the only one exploring the contents as Bia already read it before – and enchanted my eyes and brain. The colors it's used to recreate the presentation of a certain something were vibrant, while the printed writings promised a very resourceful knowledge my head hadn't yet possessed.

The storm finally showing up a sign of receding, the drumming noise from the rain against Bia's roof was slowing down, and finally gone altogether.

We decided to poke our head to the outside, not a single macaw yet bore any existence. I fluttered down to the wet platform below, slowly to avoid slipping myself. The tacking and splashing noise from our talons were announcing our presence to the inhabitants nearby.

I was quite certain that the thunder already taken care of waking the entire family. Jewel and Blu were the first one to rise from their bedroom, seconded by Carla and finally Tiago. A loud noise was calling Blu as we finished exchanging the usual "good morning" greetings. His departure was brief, returning with a huge grin on his face.

"Linda wanted us to join breakfast." He said.

Jewel was about to retort when Blu clarified his statement. "Don't worry, they are fruits."

Jewel closed her beak, nodded silently.

The familiar golden ray hadn't yet showed up when we fluttered down to the kitchen window below. Two existences of humans were visible as we arrived. The one that used the table was the one I knew whom gave me a relief with the incident of Tiago, while the other one was a red-haired female I knew from the infirmary back in the Amazon. She was one of the humans that tended my scar along with another human that his presence was absent.

Simply known as Linda and Fernando.

They greeted us as we flew inside the kitchen. "Hello there Blu! Jewel! Carla! Bia! Tiago! And… well I forgot this one." Linda said, scratching her head.

"Frost, Mom, you kept forgetting that." Fernando stated, chuckling softly.

"Uh, right, Frost." She patted my head. "Reminded me of Blu when he was young, well aside from his eyes and feathers' color."

Linda then opened the _fridge_ , one of the things that overloaded my brain if I try to think about it. Ever since I came to Rio, I've already gave up with an understatement for nearly every humans device ever existed, like the _TV, Fridge, AC, Smartphone,_ basically everything.

So in order to keep my sanity intact, I decided to play along instead. Besides, I wouldn't see any of those devices when I returned to the Amazon anyway.

The freezing aura from the fridge was encompassing me. The combination of the recent rain outside with it creating an unbearable freezing sensation that slowly pierced its way into the warmth of my body. Thankfully, the sensation was brief as Linda finally found the items she was looking for, closing the freezing box.

The mysterious meal was still encased inside the white plastic bag Linda carried; she then passed it to Blu which had been surrounded with his curious family. I let myself thinking about what kind of alien fruits I might encounter this time.

Blu finally opened the plastic bag, revealing a very familiar purple fruits; my eyes soon recognized the said fruits just in mere seconds.

I was quite disappointed when I realized that it was passion fruits, more so when I recalled the cataclysmic event it could bring when served as breakfast. Then again, I was just playing along. There was indeed a chance, slim, that you'll be fine.

My disappointment quickly vanished as I remembered that I hadn't yet eaten that kind of fruit in the past few days since I left the Amazon. That reason was enough to motivate me to ignore the thought.

"I hope you like it!" Linda stated.

We cawed joyfully, expressing our gratitude towards her.

"Anytime for my favorite birds," She smiled. "Oh Right, I'm going to watch the store today, do you want to come with me Fernando?"

He shook his head. "I can't, I got some assignments for school."

"Well, okay then." Linda then grabbed her coat; bid us a farewell before exiting the house. The healthy sound of a car engine marked her departure as the noise faded with time.

Fernando then continued his breakfast, playing with one of those devices called _Smartphone,_ moving his finger on the device, doing something – yeah something.

Blu then offered each of us the passion fruits, before announcing the breakfast. "Okay everyone! Dig in!"

Bia wasn't eating her breakfast instantly. She hopped to the _TV_ _'s_ _remote,_ powering that device on and skimming through the broadcasts. She then stopped at one called _previsão do tempo,_ listening to the moving human talk while eating her breakfast. **[Weather forecast]**

" _A previsão do tempo para Rio de Janeiro: possibilidade de chuva está de dez por cento, temperatura…"_ **[The weather forecast of Rio de Janeiro: Possibilities of rain is ten percent, temperature…]**

I lost my track with the unfamiliar language, but Bia nodded her head, somehow gained something she required from the broadcast. She then fluttered to Fernando as she finished her breakfast quickly, squawking.

"Oh hey Bia! What's up?"

Bia motioned her talon to his Smartphone. "Can I borrow that?"

Fernando understood her gestures, replied. "Sure."

Finishing the remaining bits of my meal, I fluttered to where Bia was busy using the sophisticated device. My eyes soon up spotted a series of bars, lines, numbers and drawings.

I scratched my head. "Uhm… what are you doing?"

"Looking for weather forecast today."

"Forecast? Human can forecast the weather?" I asked, amazed.

"They can." She said, her eyes still glued on the _screen_ , "Although not really accurate."

She then nodded her head, "Looks like we can go touring today."

"Hm…?"

"The weather is going to be nice; we can go out without afraid being trapped within a storm." She explained.

"How did you know?" I asked her.

"Like I said before, weather forecast."

"But didn't you say that it wasn't accurate." I stated.

"That's why I was searching for more confirmation from the Internet."

Another human made device – sorta – that I didn't know emitted my usual response. "What's an _Internet_?"

"It's really complicated to explain internet, but I can tell you that Internet is like a huge library, everything you want to know are available there."

"Such things exist?" I amazed.

"Yeah, just like what I did earlier." She said. "Now come on! Let's get flapping."

She handed (or maybe taloned) back Fernando's Smartphone, squawking gratefully.

"You're welcome, Bia!" He said, taking his bowl into the sink.

Jewel than halted us when as we arrived at the kitchen window, "Whoa there missy!" Jewel exclaimed. "Slow down, you just finished your breakfast."

"And in faster pace than usual, you even beat Tiago." Carla stated jokingly.

Bia was surprised. "I really did that?"

"Well yeah, what's makes you in such hurry anyway?" Blu asked.

"Well nothing in particular." Bia said. "Just want to enjoy the weather."

"Maybe you should listen to your mother, Bia." I stated. "You don't want to get a stomachache either."

She sighed. "Fine…"

A loud burp was erupting soon after, and every eye quickly directed to the source.

"What?" Tiago asked.

Jewel wasn't pleased with his attitude. "Excuse you, Tiago."

"What am I going to do with you?" Blu sighed. "Maybe it's time you fix that attitude, Tiago." He said firmly.

Carla was shot him a look that said "I told you so" while I tried my best to suppress a laugh.

Hr here

Bia was really excited to go sooner – for a reason I didn't quite understand. I finally agreed to go after some amount of time that I was sure was enough to let the breakfast digested. We hopped to kitchen window, tasting the cold weather greeted us with a ruffle against our plumages.

Something in my soul told me that a great storm was approaching, but Bia's statement earlier was enough to let the thought slip away. We flapped our wings and head directly to this 'Sugarloaf Mountain'.

The breeze was quite fierce as I need to carve a wind tunnel even with the low altitude we currently occupied, but it wasn't something I never experienced before back in the Amazon, and that fact made me ignore those seemingly trivial details.

Bia was motioning me to fly higher, and the wind tunnel I need to carve was become more solid each wing flap we took. But before I could say something, she already descended into the green contoured mat below.

I quickly followed her trail, sensing something was wrong with her today, as she seems very rushed.

The green mat was slowly transformed into a high detailed texture of trees soon after I descended, but before I could do much, Bia already moving quickly from trees to trees, leaving me lagging behind with confusion.

I snapped myself and quickly rushed to her. Her eyes were critical to find something, and I couldn't finally hold any longer the inquisitives that build up inside my head. I flapped my wings faster than before, allowing me to catch up with her. "Bia! Stop!" I exclaimed.

She shot me a confused looks, but then stopped; her looks suggested that she demands some reason. "What?"

"What's gotten into you?"

"What do you mean?" She inquired.

"You seem rushed over everything Bia. What's wrong?" I replied. "You can tell me about it."

"No really, I'm just… eager to go." She said, but her words didn't convince my one bit.

I stared her for a few seconds, my heart told me to press the issue as something was seriously odd with her. But then my head told me just to play along and enjoy my time here. I let out a groan, accompanied with a sigh.

"You really okay?" I asked her once again, trying to get to the bottom of this.

"Yes." She said plainly, "Now come on!"

Within seconds, she already rushed deeper into the dense vegetation of the mountains, leaving me behind to catching her up. The sky didn't give me a slightest reassurance that the weather was going to stay nice. The sunbeam wasn't nowhere within sight, and it intensifies my concern for the weather we had to endure if we were too late to react.

Bia was scanning the vicinity, her eyes were critical with the subtle changes of the environment. I didn't recall the amount of time Bia was stopping abruptly, examining the scenery, before continuing her flight.

I wasn't asking her anymore question and let her did what she wanted to do; even my mind was requesting a reason behind her bizarre behavior.

A sudden temperature drop was alerting me about the weather above; I averted my gaze to the sky for a few seconds, revealing the brewing squall with close proximity. The downpour was going to be inevitable.

I finally let my question out – the squall was the main reason, as well as my curiosity. "Bia, can you tell me what are you searching for?"

"The flower garden." She revealed. "I swear it was here somewhere."

"Maybe we sh…." My words were fall on deaf ears, as she flew to the branch where an owl perching on a branch of a tree.

" _Com licença senhor! Mas você sabe onde o jardim de flores é?"_ Bia asked the black owl. **[Excuse me sir! But do you know where the flower garden is?]**

The owl rotated his head in impossible angle, "Who?"

"Oh you speak English, um… we are macaws."

"Who?"

 _What? Is he deaf or something._

I fluttered next to Bia, joining the conversation. "This is Bia, I am Frost." I said.

"Who?" The owl kept hooting.

"Uhm… can you speak?" I asked, but quickly got my beak shut as I was afraid I offended him.

He opened his large wingspan and shot me with a very intimidating looks.

I quickly shielded Bia, let me face to face with the "angry" black owl. We stared each other for a few tense seconds, before his beak formed into a grin.

"Well well well, another brave soul." He finally spoke, "A nice strong gizzard."

My tense demeanor finally ceased and replaced with bewilderment.

He laughed at my facial expression, "Good one eh son? Name's Jameson by the way."

The black owl – by the name of Jameson was smiling to me. "Uh my name is Frost and this is Bia."

"Who is this lady to yours may I ask?"

"My girlfriend," I stated.

"That's explains it."

"Explain what?" Bia joined the chat.

"The strong gizzard he possessed." He replied.

"What's a _gizzard_?" I asked.

He was about to answer when the clouds finally gave up and showering us with a fat freezing droplets of rain; Jameson quickly aiding us into his hollow, allowing us to take shelter from the rain's relentless barrage against the earth.

His hollow was thankfully close in proximity as the rain intensifies when we entered our new acquaintance's home; the noise from the rain was running with deafening intensity, muting other noise within it.

My body sent me a shiver, the droplets were penetrating against my plumage and made a direct contact with my skin, fortunately we weren't that long in the rain plus Jameson's hollow was quite comfy, allowing our body to adjust with the temperature.

Bia was shaking violently; she wasn't as strong as me when it comes to cold. I opened my wings and encasing her, transferred some of my body warmth to her.

Her shivering receded soon after; her beautiful face flashes a gratitude towards my act. "Thank you."

Jameson was observing the whole scene. "Oh love, such a powerful thing."

Bia was blushing with his words, slipping free from my embrace. "I'm fine now."

She walked towards the entrance, "Looks like we are going to extent our stay here." She sighed.

Jameson was inspecting me; his eyes soon fell on my scar, "A battle mark? In such youth?"

"What do you… oh." I touched my scar with my wing. "You mean this?"

"What unfortunate events casted upon you until you bore that mark?"

His words were… well quite different from the rest of peoples (Birds!) I knew, and his voice was richly accented, one that I hadn't heard until I met him.

"Eagles." I stated shortly. "My encounter with them gave me this scar."

"For whatever reason?"

I glanced at Bia; she was staring at the angry dark clouds outside, "To save her."

Jameson nodded. "That's the source of your bravery, the strong gizzard you possessed."

"What's gizzard?" I asked him again.

"It seems that you don't understand what a gizzard is."

I nodded my head.

"Then it is your quest to understand it."

"Why don't you just tell me?" I confused with his behavior.

"Because I know you will understand it." He said. "You do felt the squall was approaching, right?"

I was taken aback with his statement, somehow he know that something-in-my-soul thing. "How do you know?"

He smiled. "Because my gizzard told me so and so was yours."

I was completely lost with this owl way of thinking; something was too abstract for me to gain immediate understatement from him.

My thought was broken with a soft writhing noise; I scanned my eyes to spot the source of the said voice. Bia's presence was already absent from where she was before, I quickly averted my gaze to the entire section of hollow, before finally caught her huddling in the corner, her body shaking.

A loud crackle of thunder was splitting the sky, just like my heart when I saw her. I wasted no time and rushed quickly toward her.

"Bia, something wrong?" I asked, concern was built up steadily.

She didn't respond, her body kept trembling like she was cold. But another evidence of her behavior denied my assumption, her wings pressed onto her belly.

"Bia! Speak to me! What's wrong?"

Her writhing intensified; still she gained enough strength to explain the situation. "My tummy hurts a lot." She said, her voice was barely a whisper.

"What?" Panic quickly flowed into my nerve, my head searching for the reason for her ache.

She let out a loud yelp of pain, a stab to my heart seeing her condition and yet I couldn't do anything.

Jameson quickly came to an aid, asking me a question. "Did she eat anything wrong?"

"No…" I gasped as I remember the passion fruit this morning. I was cursing myself internally for letting her bear the supposedly-avoidable pain.

I was stammering with the realization. To endure the pain in the past, I had to drink a LOT of water to flush the pain away. The acidic substances were the reason why it caused a stomachache.

But that wasn't the best solution available right now. First, there was no water nearby; the rain might be a source of water, unfortunately rainwater in Rio was not great to drink, it tasted sour.

Second, I couldn't imagine how painful it was for her to endure the water flushes up her body.

That left me with no other options existing, feeling helpless, except for one more way…

"What are you contemplating anymore eh, son?" Jameson spoke up.

I leveled my gaze towards him, sensing his understatement from my looks.

"I can't fly in a storm! That's impossible."

"And certainly you can't just stay here seeing her writhing in pain." Jameson stated.

True, every time I saw her, my heart was wounded, every shrieks or yelp was a stab to my heart.

"There's no time! You need to brought her and fast."

I nodded my head and sandwiched Bia between my talon; Her body was shaking violently.

I was hesitated when I saw the state of the raging tempest outside, but her well-being was more important to me. I opened my wing and dwelled into the monsoon.

My wings rapidly caught up with a gust of the wind, whisking me away deeper into the fierce storm. Fat freezing droplets of rainwater was bombarding my plumage; some breached the water seal of my plumage and made a direct contact with my skin.

The chilling was beyond unbearable to endure, my body started to lose its warmth, but the vibration from Bia's body motivated to fly faster and deeper into the storm, reaching her home.

My flight was uneven, the gusts of winds were chaotic in this kind of weather, and the wind tunnel was as hard as brick to carve on. I didn't remember the amount of time I was whisked by the storm, yielding my fate within its mercy.

My eyes tried to spot the direction of our destination, but the heavy rain blurred my vision capabilities, flying blindly into the unknown. The rain intensified its concentration, relentlessly attacking me with its fury.

I was in the verge of passing out, my feathers were soaked completely, and Bia was shivering vigorously. Another gust of wind whisked me, sending me into a vortex flight pattern and before I could recover, the tempest dragging me again.

The thunder was roaring with its mighty fury, the sudden noise ringing my ears, and my concentration broke, being whipped by the wind.

The eerie realization when I found myself within a calm atmosphere, my eyes widened as I recognized the calmness of the eye of the maelstrom, the calm before the calamity.

Everything was running in slow motion, the wind, the droplets were all visible in greater detail as I gave myself up, there wasn't any way to survive the cataclysm within the maelstrom.

Jameson somehow appeared somewhere next to me. "Fly boy! Don't give up! Trust your gizzard! Fly inside!"

I closed my eyes and listen to the anguish cry of my heart for the safety of Bia. The non-existent wind tunnels were manifested in my eyes as I opened them, allowing an escape from the raging eye.

The chaotic tunnels were twisted with one another, allowing no sole inhabitants escape the eye, but the nature's creation wasn't flawless as I quickly spotted an exit from the lower section.

I folded my wing and let the gravity did the task, stretching it once again to slow down my descend and heading straight to the wind tunnel. A microburst suddenly appeared, sending me lower into the ground. I flapped my wing to fight the force, but the strain in my wings already impaired my flight prowess, nonetheless kept myself flapping, Bia was more important than everything.

My efforts was finally showed its fruit as I finally gained altitude, until I reached the said tunnel, quickly rushed towards it before another force halted my act.

The wind tunnel was swirling in a vortex, the common traits for one existed within the storm. Jameson presence already faded with the wind, but his words still echoed clearly despite the raging squall that surrounded me.

 _Trust your gizzard, fly inside._

I spread my wings as I dwelled into the tunnel, every thought and calculation was thrown away, and I only believed that the wind would carry us away from the calamity. I closed my eyes once more and let the breeze aiding my flight. The sensation felt like an eternity, my body was swirling with the vortex, and finally ejected from the storm grasp.

The sudden change in velocity alerting me, and I began to flap my strained wing once more to brake myself from plummeting straight into the ground. This time, our destination was within sight, and thankfully closes in distance.

The warmth inside my body had reached its lowest level and I was gasping for breath. My body was numb when the warm sight of the house materialized, it gave me a huge relief that we finally home, comfy and safe – or so what I was thinking.

I brought Bia to the kitchen counter, I squawked loudly to alert the inhabitants of the house about us, but not a single soul existed. I averted my gaze to Bia, she was still breathing, but her body was shaking violently.

I was desperate to find something that could raise her body temperature, but not a single item provided a decent cover against the cold. The stove was crossed on my mind for a second, but aside from its dangerous nature, I didn't know how to use that.

My body was tired with the cold, the freezing already numbed several of my limbs. I walked closer to Bia, huddling closely with her – while her body was cold, I was sure my body was ice-cold – and radiated any warmth available from my body to her.

I hugged her tightly to pierce my warmth into her body, even there's nothing more to spare for myself. The puddle that existed from my dripping feathers slipped me when I tried to move, toppling us to the kitchen counter. The soreness was sending me into a submission, but my wings still encased my loved one completely, hoping for the best for her.

My eyelids were starting to get really heavy, but I kept myself to stay awake as I know the moment I closed my eyes, that was the last time I saw the light.

I smiled the last time when I saw Bia's sleeping form, her body's shake was receded slightly. My eyelids finally as heavy as a rock, and it drifted me away, surrounded my world with darkness.

* * *

Afterlife…

It is a very hard concept isn't it? What kind of life we get after we dead?

For humans, they have their own believes over things like this. Some of them believe in a concept called Heaven, a place where you will spend your eternal life with happiness.

While for some, when we do dead one day, our body will rot and our soul will be thrown into oblivion, simple.

For birds like me, I always believe that the moment I died one day, I'll be with my father in the sky, watching my loved ones every night as they never – hopefully – forgotten my presence in the sky.

But I never thought that death will come to me that sooner, and reap my soul from this worldly – whatever-thingy.

A little consolation that I, at least, died protecting my loved one; she would endure the losses, but I don't know what kind of impact she would experience when she knows the truth that I gave my life for her.

I was quite proud at myself; at least my body still provided her with extra blanket until one of her family showed up. The point is, I want her to live.

Sure I'll miss her beautiful face, her angelic voice and her soft gaze. But at least, I want her to continue her life and gain happiness.

I don't want to talk about the aching sadness in my heart right now about leaving her behind; about not able to saw her face, wipe her tears or be there when she was sick.

At least… I can see her from the sky, right?

Right, I can see her.

But now, I need to find an exit from this dark room.

"Frost!"

A single light is erupted from the distance.

"Frost! Please wake up!"

I walked closer to the light.

"Frost! Please! Don't leave me alone!"

I stopped my pace, looking back for the last time.

"Frost… I love you. Please don't leave me. You promised."

The room distorted.

* * *

My eyes were adjusting to the luminescence of the room when I felt a warm breath within my beak. I closed my eyes and enjoyed her kiss, telling her that I was back.

She broke the kiss; tears were streaming fast in her face. "Frost? You awake?"

I stirred, and reopened my eyes, flashing a warm smile. "Yeah, where am…"

She hit me with a wing. "You scared me! Don't you ever that again!" her face stained with tears.

I really wanted to laugh, but my beak was dry. Not to mention the cocoon that encased me restraining my movement.

So instead I flashed a smile. "I'm not going anywhere, Bia."

"You better!" She snarled within her tears.

"Whe…" She putted me into a kiss, silencing me.

I embraced her passionate kiss, in respect of our mutual love.

"I thought you were gone." She broke the kiss. "I thought I lost you."

"No, Beatriz." I replied, my voice was hoarse. "I will never leave you."

I struggled to free myself from the cocoon. "Uhm… Can you help me?"

"I don't think you were allowed to get out from the blanket just yet."

"What happened?"

"Hypothermia," She said. "You really are stupid sometimes."

"Hypothermia?"

"Yes." She nodded. "When you body temperature became very low, your body started to lose its function."

"Why on earth you flew in the storm anyway?"

I was reminded about her status before. "Your stomachache, how is it?"

Bia was carrying a mug of water, gingerly poured the water into my beak. "Really Frost? You almost freeze to death and still I was your main concern?"

"Well you really looked painful back then, what happened?"

She put the mug back. "I'm carrying eggs."

I spit the liquid out of my beak, "You _WHAT_?!"

She giggled loudly with my response. "I was joking."

"The breakfast was to blame. I should never eat that fast."

"Ha ha ha very funny," I snorted a sarcastic laugh, then changing the subject. "Why did you in such hurry anyway?"

"I know the storm was approaching, everyone can predict that when they look at the horizon." She admitted. "But I don't want to waste our precious time together."

"There's always tomorrow." I stated. "It's not like I'm going to somewhere far or something."

"I'm afraid our time is short." She said, staring at the ground. "You see, we almost broke up yesterday."

I finally gathered all the puzzle pieces together, sighed. "Then it won't be short."

She raised her head and looked at me. "I love you, Bia. That's the reason." I added.

She smiled and walked closer to me, touching her beaks against mine, "Glad that I love you too."

She then fluttered away, doing something.

"I see that you survive." A familiar voice erupted.

"Jameson!" I stated.

I could only raise my head slightly; the cocoon was putting me in an awkward condition where my head was the only thing free to move.

"Oh hello there," I said.

"I'll say you finally listen to your gizzard?"

I was about to retort, but then nodded my head.

"You maybe clueless with the idea of gizzard, but I can assure you that you have one, a nice and strong one."

"Your heart is strong, the source of your bravery, compassion and selflessness. I've travel wide and far, learning the source of strong gizzards, and you today have taught me something."

"The storm today was a paradigm of a much grander scale of what to come, and with those gizzard you possess; I'll say that you will endure, as long as you listen to it."

"I'm honored to meet you, Frost."

I lifted my head to see him, but his presence already absent, as if he was dispersed into thin air.

My eyes scanned the room, but failed to spot him. "Bia, did…" I cut my words, nodded.

"Hm…? What is it?" Bia said.

"Nothing," I replied.

 _There may be another storm for me to face, but for her, I'm ready to face the tempest. To find those exits even calamity was upon us, because I love her._

True to people say, life isn't about waiting the storm to pass. It's learning to dance in the rain.

But not all of us were brave enough to do that right? when you feel too lone and scared to dance within the harsh rain, who said you need to dance alone?

* * *

 ** _A/N: and that's concluded the um... ninth chapter, one more to match Love's Eternal Light, whew it is quite a ride isn't it?_**

 ** _In case you notice that this chapter greatly inspired (and template-d I admit) from Ga'Hoole, but still I hope you guys enjoy it._**

 ** _Thanks for your visit to my story, words failed to express my gratitude towards you guys!_**


	10. The Honey and the Bees

_**For the clarity, Bia and Frost's age in Winter's summer are (five) and (five to six) respectively.**_

* * *

Chapter 10  
The Honey and the Bees  
 _"And if I reach for your wing, for the rest of my life"_

The storm outside was already dismissed, but not yet a single drop of the sun's ray succeeded in penetrating the cloud shield in the sky. Frost was wiggling his body to escape the warm cocoon that encased him. "Uhm… Bia, how long I need to stay like this?"

"You need that, Frost." I said. "Your body temperature was critically low."

"But I'm feeling fine already." He stated. "And I'm starting to get really stiff.."

I sighed. "Just wait until Tulio come back, okay?"

He nodded his head. "Okay."

"By the way, where am I? I've never seen this place before."

"This is the aviary in Rio." I replied, "Precisely the treatment room."

He nodded his head. "Uhm… what time is it?"

I peeked at the clock that mounted on the wall, and read the current time. "It's two fifteen."

"Two fifteen?" He asked, surprised. "How long I was out?"

"Almost five hours." I told him. "That's why I'm so scared…"

"You body was still and cold as ice, Tulio even told me that it's going to be a miracle if you survive." I scratched the table.

"Hey, at least I'm here right?" He comforted me.

"You keep risking yourself to me; I don't know how I can ever repay you."

"Now now, Bia." He stated. "I risk my life because I love you; it wasn't something you need to pay. Your love was enough to tell me that you are worth, and I'm ready to do anything for you."

His words never failed to pluck my heartstrings, sending those melodies of love to all of my senses. There was no doubt that his love was pure, and I certainly _won't_ ever hold a hesitation against it anymore.

"Bia." He said.

"Yes, what is it?"

"Could you fetch me some water? My beak is seriously dry."

I smiled at him, "Of course."

I grabbed the mug, lifting it into the air. "Open your beak." He opened his beak, and I slowly poured the transparent liquid into his beak, before placing the mug back into the counter.

He closed his beak and swallowing the colorless-flavorless liquid, sighing blissfully. "That was the best water I've ever drink."

Noises of wing flaps were heard in the distance, signifying the presence of my family. Dad was the first one to arrive, and his tense demeanor quickly faded as he saw Frost on the cocoon talking to me.

"Oh thank stars you okay!" Dad landed next to him, hugging him.

Frost momentarily surprised at Dad's sudden hug, but later became more comfortable with the hug. Carla, Tiago and Mom were following Dad; their face also bore the same relief he experienced.

"You really scaring us!" Blu said. "I don't know how I'm going to tell Luna if you were really gone."

Frost was smiling, but his face also bore something else, a pained expression that he tried to suppress. "I'm sorry… I didn't mean to do that."

"Why on earth did you fly in the rain anyway? More likely a storm like that." Mom asked.

Frost was silent for a few seconds, the ill-look in his face increased, but still small enough to be detectable. "I…uh. Bia was sick, I need to bring her quickly." He closed his eyes; his breathing became ragged a little.

I wasn't the only one noticing something wrong with him. "Frost, are you okay?"

He kept silent, his response delayed. "I'm…"

Dad quickly put his wing over his forehead, his face turned into a frown. "He's burning up."

"I'll get Tulio, you guys stay here." Dad raced out, flying hastily to find Tulio.

His departure was filled the room with deafening silence, save for Frost's occasional noise from his pain. I prayed to the stars, hoping that he would endure the pain; I really wish I could bear his pain, sparing him some of the misery he already got for a day.

His state ached my heart, I was the sole reason he got into this condition, and yet I couldn't do anything to lighten even a slightest of his pain. I walked closer to him, his breath was alarmingly hot, and I know he wouldn't get any comfortable slumber if this kept persisting.

My family shared the concern I possessed. Mom was looking at me with worried looks, which also went for Carla and Tiago. Frost maybe my boyfriend, but he already became a part of our family.

Dad and Tulio's arrival felt like an eternity, although it was really just three minutes. The tall Brazilian ornithologist hastily rushed towards Frost, lifting his cocoon and brought him into the examination room.

Our flight to the said room was filled with concern and dread, but I kept praying for the best and bracing for the worst. Hypothermia was something you shouldn't take lightly. It was indeed a miracle that somehow Frost was alive and kicking after that near-mortality experience. But still, there were a lot of things in _post-hypothermia_ that you should consider.

This fever could be his chance to regain back his full health, or just another attack of those dreading symptoms. I was quite thankful yet hate myself for knowing this. It spared my family the frightening outcome, but gave me a very _very_ terrifying thought.

We finally arrived at the examination room. Tulio turned off every cooling device available there, before putting him on the table. Tiago and Carla was flying next to me, giving me a supportive-family-comfort which I was greatly thankful.

Tulio gently removed him from the encased cocoon; his body was shivering slightly, a trait that hypothermia still existed within his body, not to mention the room's coldness still present. He covered Frost in a blanket, and this time wasn't entirely encasing him, which allowing Tulio to observe his respiratory and heartbeat with his stethoscope.

His face wasn't gave me a slightest comfort about his condition, not to mention Frost's occasional moan from the pain. Tulio then grabbed something from his medicine box, measured it in a spoon before give it to Frost.

His shivers and moans were receding each time passed, before he finally settled into his slumber.

A relief was washed over me when I saw his calmed state, the same applied to my family.

"He is going to be fine." Tulio declared. "I've checked any signs of abnormalities inside his body, and so far, my observation told me there's nothing wrong with them."

Mom and Dad nodded in confirmation. "I gave him a mild dose of pain-reliever so his body could rest; the fever was a restorative one, so there was nothing to worry about." His face then became serious. "However, I'm afraid that he need to stay in the aviary for a while, at least until he recovered."

I fluttered next to him, watching him sleeping soundly. Carla and Tiago followed me. "It's okay sis, he would be fine." Carla reassured me.

"Did you remember how fast he recovered from the fall a few days before?" Tiago told me. "He will be fine, he is a strong macaw."

I looked at them, smiling. "Thanks a lot."

"Anything for my beloved sister." Carla said.

They gave me a hug, this kind of occasion always made thankful that I was born in this family.

Mom and Dad fluttered next to us, showering me with another reassured words. "Don't worry, Bia."

"Now let's go get some lunch." Mom said. "You haven't eaten anything since breakfast."

I looked at Frost sleeping form. "No, Mom."

"I think I'll stay behind, I'm not that hungry."

Dad shot me a worried looks, "No, sweetie. You still need to eat, I don't care the reason."

I kept silent; my eyes were glued completely on Frost. Mom quickly understood my behavior. "I know you worried about him, that you want to take care of him." She continued. "But how you're going to tend him if you get sick too?"

Her words struck deep into my head, true that I need to stay healthy to take care of him. Besides, my belly was actually quite hungry.

I nodded my head. "Okay."

We soared into the sky from the aviary, the distance of our home and the aviary wasn't actually that long, merely eight minutes as the macaws fly. We decided to take Açaí berries as our lunch, the said purple orb was within sight after roughly two minutes flight, and we descended them.

I spotted some of the blue-gold and scarlet macaws in the vicinity, busy with their own activities. Tiago was racing to one of them, a scarlet macaw around his age.

"Hey Rico!" He exclaimed.

The scarlet macaw perked his head, a smile formed in his beak. " _Oi amigo!_ " **[Hi there!]**

I lost track of their conversation as my mind still focusing on Frost. Dad interrupted my thought by offering me an Açaí berry which I took it; the usual sweet fruit was flavorless.

The concern for my loved one's well-being took my entire concentration and resources. Sure, I already know that this fever wasn't something to worry about, but still my heart was restless as he could suddenly be gone.

The panic sensation I felt when he was still unconscious was still lingering within my soul. The experience of nearly losing him was something I greatly dreaded, and therefore it left me a scar within my heart, and most importantly I was the reason.

I was lost within my thought until I didn't realize how fast I was eating. "Slow down, Bia. You could get another stomachache." Dad told me.

I froze momentarily, reminding myself that my silly stomachache was the reason of everything. I fixed my gaze with Dad, nodding and slowing my eating pace.

But the food tasted stale in my beak as my savory senses somehow disabled at that point, and I lose my appetite. I grabbed three of those berries, before bidding my family a goodbye. "Mom, Dad. I'm going back to the aviary."

"But you barely eat, Bia." Mom concerned.

"I don't have quite the appetite at the moment." I admitted.

"What are those berries for?" Carla asked.

"Oh it's for Frost." I stated. "He hasn't exactly eaten anything since breakfast either. I suppose he would be hungry when he woke up."

"Besides, I don't want him to feel alone." I stared down.

"Wait, you want to stay there?" Mom asked. "But…" Mom's words were cut with a nudge from Dad.

"It's okay Jewel, she is just worried. I don't think there's any danger in the aviary anyway." Dad stated.

"Thanks, Dad." I smiled.

"You're welcome, sweetie." He replied.

I fluttered into the sky and heading straight to the aviary. The building materialized after a while, and my heart was racing to meet him again. I swiftly entered the examination room, but his presence was absent. My eyes scanned the room for him, but to no avail as not a single feather of his spotted. Fortunately, Tulio was there, and I quickly fluttered next to him, squawking loudly.

"Oh hey there, Bia. What's up?"

"Where is Frost?" I asked him, motioning my talon to where Frost recently reside.

The ornithologist was scratching his head for a while, before asking. "You mean your boyfriend?"

I nodded my head. "He is in the treatment room. The air was too chilly for him here so I moved him there."

I let out a gratitude squawk. "Thank you."

"Anytime, Bia."

I exited the room and rushed to the said room where he was residing; my eyes finally spot his sleeping form on the cage.

The cages here weren't something they used to locked-up birds, but rather for ensuring they got a resting place while they were injured. I unbolted the cage lock, setting up the Açaí berries next to me, before scanned his sleeping body.

He was snoozing peacefully, the shivering was already gone and his body wasn't as hot as someone that usually got a fever – while I do admit that his body was still quite warm – at least, that's the sign that he was indeed recovering; the realization sent me a huge wave of relief in my heart, knowing that he wouldn't leave me.

Boredom was soon filled my soul, I was regretting myself to not bring my book over. I was seriously tempted to fly back home, grab a book and returned here. But my heart somehow didn't allow me to do such act, afraid that the moment I flew away, he woke up and finding himself alone.

I inspected the room, hoping to spot something I could use as the distraction from the deafening silence that filled the room. The aviary wasn't as crowded as before, somehow the injured birds were decreasing than the one I recalled in the past.

I spotted some other birds resting or just looking at the window outside. I was coaxed to take a little chat with them, but later decided against it for some reason: it would be rude to interrupt their rest or simply, I didn't know who they were.

Frost was stirring a bit, his beak clasped softly as he returned back into his slumber. My beak formed a smile at his act; he was really cute when he slept. My mind later flashed the memory of our first meeting, the day when he saved me from a jaguar – well, maybe not saving me literally, but still, he was carrying me back all the way into the village while I'm unconscious.

I always wondered what kind of fate that dragged us together, but I cast that aside; It didn't matter anymore right now, what was matter that he was here with me.

Frost awaked some time later; he was requesting me with some water. I told him to eat some of the berries I brought to him which he accepted, although that he couldn't stuff more than one.

He flashed a smile, thanking me for my nursing towards him, before he returned into the restorative sleep he needed. I was disappointed that he didn't take more time with me to chat, but later understood that he needed that to back at his prime.

Carla was appeared soon after, she fluttered to my _cage,_ her talon was – as usual – gripped her iPod and a book. "Hello there, Bia."

"Oh, hello, sis." I replied her. "What are you doing here?"

"I brought you a book to read on, while I didn't know if you had read this book." She rolled her eyes. "You should have arranged them like the one you have read and the one you haven't."

I stifled a giggle, taking the book within my talon. "Well, maybe next time, I'll do that."

"Anytime, Bia. And oh! I thought you can borrow this if you want to." She gave me her iPod. "I think when you get bored with that book – which I don't think you will – you probably want to listen for some music." She quipped. "But please don't break it."

I was surprised with her offer; her iPod was probably her most valuable possession she had and yet she trusted me with it. My beak formed a smile, hugged her. "Thanks a lot, sis."

She embraced back, "Like I've said before, anything for my beloved sister."

"How is he?" She inquired.

"Oh, he already woke up earlier; I already gave him some food. Hopefully he would recover soon." I stated.

"He will, Bia." She assured me. "Okay, I need to get going. Mom and Dad are having a clean-up today. You are lucky being able to hide here." She chuckled. "See ya!"

"See you later, sis." I replied softly.

I lifted the book Carla was brought to me, and true to her words, it was the one I had read – multiple times. So instead I lifted Carla's iPod, skimming through the list of music available in her playlist.

I remembered the song in Carla's iPod that I really liked, _The honey and the Bees._ In my opinion, the song was very romantic, and always enchanted me with its lyrics. True that I wasn't as fond with music as Carla, but that didn't mean I didn't enjoy some.

I finally spotted the said song, pulled the earphones into my ears and let those catchy tunes manifested in my ears. The soft acoustic instrument was introduced in the first verse, blended with the singer's voice seamlessly; the singer's voice was very amazing. The chorus was hit soon after, my favorite part of the song. The lyrics were incredibly romantic, allowing my beak to possess a smile for the rest of the song.

The thumping beat of the song was fuses completely with the singer's voices, the acoustic part, the melody; I couldn't hold up any longer and started to singing along.

" _Who knew the other side could be so green_."

" _We are honey and the bees."_

I sang along all the lyrics with perfect synchronization, unaware that Frost was already woke up and heard me sing. I continued the rest of the song, smiling as the last lyrics come into action, before the song faded completely; I opened my eyes and saw Frost's grinning face.

I was suddenly felt hot inside my body. "You… um… when you were awake?"

"Not that late to miss your beautiful voice." He smiled. "That was very cute."

I was blushing red, singing had always been my guilty pleasures, something I wasn't quite like it when someone caught me singing, and certainly not Frost.

"You seem very uncomfortable" He asked, his voice rasped a little which he eliminated it with a cough. "What's wrong?"

"Uhm… you know… I'm… uh." I stammered, looking for words.

"Hey, there's nothing to shy about. I was sincere when I said it was cute."

I lifted my head, leveling my gaze towards him, "Really?"

"Really! Got to admit that it wasn't as good as Carla's." He stated. "But still your voice is very good."

I blushed with his compliment. "Thanks..."

"Maybe you should sing some more, it would gave me a power of healing." He joked, but then urged me.

"Oh… I don't…."

He smiled at me. "How about I join in? Maybe you wouldn't feel so bad singing alone."

"With your current voice?" I quipped, pointing at his raspy voice. "It's got to be a rock song to fit that voice of yours." I giggled.

"Thank you for your compliment." He said sarcastically, yet joined my giggle. "Come on!"

I replayed the song I was listening before, placing one of the earphones to Frost, and start the music.

"You sing the first verse…"

* * *

The sun was sinking into his resting place, slowly tinting the sky with multi-colored tint of twilight. Frost condition was already improving, although he wasn't yet able to lift himself from his bed. Tulio was generous to left us a few diced pineapples for dinner, before he himself returned home.

I lifted one piece of the pineapple, giving it to Frost beak. His face was filled with delight as the pineapple slide down into his throat, activating his savory senses with its flavorful taste.

"Hmm… that was nice! What is it?" He asked me, I grabbed one for myself before picking another piece and placed it into his beak.

"Pineapple." I said. "You never ate one?"

"No, but it was very delicious." He said, crushing the sweet-sour-ish fruit in his beak.

"Then I guess you got a bonus today." I said, giving him two more pieces which he accepted it gleefully.

"Thanks a lot, Bia." He said. "Thanks for spending your time with me here."

"For you, it is my duty. Besides, you saved me earlier today, I'm just paying back."

"You sure you want to stay here tonight. There's nothing you can do anyway, you can go home if you want." He told me.

I shook my head. "I'll be here until you wake your lazy butt." I joked. "It can get really cold at night sometimes, and you need some medical attention for that."

"Sure _healer_ Bia, sure." He rolled his eyes playfully.

Twilight finally dispersed and replaced with the usual black skies, adorned with the self-illuminating star and their companion, the moon. We were chatting about the recent event, sometimes telling jokes to one another, before he finally gave up and return to his slumber. I wasn't really that tired just yet, so I took the book Carla gave me and read a while.

My study wasn't last that long as drowsiness finally got me within its grasp. Its spell was something really hard to fight, within minutes, I already closed my eyes and dwelling into my dreamscape.

My fantasy manifested, revealing a scene when Frost and I were sitting together and enjoyed the beauty of the night sky. The serene atmosphere was engulfing us tightly, only each other was the comfort within silence.

* * *

The attendance of the heated sunbeam that slowly crept over my body snapped me out of my fantasy realm, returning me into the real world. My eyes were filled with the familiar fuzziness from the sleep, I rub it with my wings until it regain its proper focus, alerting the absence of Frost from his nest.

My eyes scrutinized the room for his presence, but he wasn't nowhere within sight. Panic started to manifest inside my brain, as it started to create the worst case scenario for the reason of its absence.

But that feeling was short-lived the moment Frost entered the room, with two mangos on his talon. "Morning, Bia."

I rushed over him. "Can you stop scaring me like that?"

He tilted his head in confusion."What do you mean?"

"Nothing…" I replied, hugging him. "You didn't wake me up?"

"Who can? You sleep so peacefully." He said.

"Have you felt better?"

"Never been better." He replied, offering me one of the mangos.

"Thank you." I said.

"Try to eat slower this time." He quipped. "You don't want to get another stomachache when we search for that flower garden of yours."

My eyes were widened. "You really want to return there?"

"You make it so beautiful in my mind, probably we should try to find it; besides, no clouds no squall shall hinder us." He then added, "If Tulio allowed me of course."

"Where did you learn to talk that kind of poetic?" I chuckled. "It clashes completely with you."

"At least I'm trying." He grinned.

We finished our breakfast roughly around ten minutes, excluding the time gap for the breakfast to be properly digested. Tulio arrived soon after, walking towards us, "Morning you two!" He greeted.

We squawking cheerfully, returning his greeting.

He smiled. "Now… Frost, I need you for final examination, to ensure that you have recovered completely."

He nodded before hopping to his shoulder, perching there. I grabbed Carla's iPod and my book, following them.

Tulio brought us to the examination room; he placed Frost on the "patient" table, grabbing his stethoscope and thermometer. He pressed the metal surface onto his body, listening to his inner limb condition, before putting the thermometer into his beak.

He scribbled his findings on the clipboard, removing the thermometer from Frost's beak and read the current temperature. The ornithologist was checking all the final details about his condition.

"I think you have returned back into health, Frost. Not fully, but still you can go home right now." He concluded. "However, I'm afraid you should avoid contact with freezing temperature at the moment."

"But that isn't something you should worry a lot, while Rio sure have some fierce storms, mostly, it is as sunny as today." He added. "It's summer anyway."

Frost nodded his head, cawed jovially.

"Okay, you both can return to your home. I suppose Blu and Jewel missed you already."

We nodded our head, squawking or gratitude and farewell for him, before heading into the front door and flew outside.

Frost was right, the sky was crystal blue, and not a single cloud was spotted. The sight was a total opposite of yesterday, the glorious ray of sun basking the land and inhabitant below, a perfect day to be spent outside.

The warm sight of my treetop abode finally materialized after about ten minutes flight. Mom and Carla were the first sight that caught my eyes when we arrived at the platform. Our arrival soon greeted with kisses and hug – excluding Frost, obviously – and some "Good Morning" from them.

I handed Carla her iPod. "Thanks sis."

She grabbed her iPod. "You're welcome."

"Oh right, speaking of. Where are Dad and Tiago?" I asked them.

"They were going to the market; Tiago was planning something for the carnival." Mom replied.

"Oh my, what kind of mayhem he will cause this time?" Carla wiped her face with her wing – facewing, if you don't mind the pun.

We laughed at Carla's statement. "Have you both got breakfast?"

"Oh we have." Frost answered.

The recent conversation was coming through my mind. Uhm… Frost, do you want to go now or later?"

"Go whe…oh right! I guess we can start now if you want to." He replied.

I nodded my head. "Mom, Frost and I want to go to the Sugarloaf Mountain."

"But you just arrived here." Mom replied. "I guess you both can go, but please do return for lunch."

"Okay, Mom." I nodded. "Come on, Frost."

"Whoa there, slow down a bit. I have some business to be taken care of." He disappeared into the bushes and returned soon after. "Okay let's go."

We bid Mom and Carla a goodbye as we soared into the Rio skyline, the warm breeze was ruffling my plumage as we ascended higher into the sky, gliding to the Sugarloaf Mountain.

"Hey Frost, do you remember the owl we met yesterday?" I asked him. "Maybe we could pay him a visit."

"Jameson?" He clarified. "Sure, if you can spot him."

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing."

The rest of the flight was filled with silence, but what lacked in my ears was paid on what in my eyes. The scenery was awfully beautiful today; the sun's ray was golden, unfiltered by the usual patch of clouds. While technically the day almost reached its peak, the heat wasn't as severe as usual; I supposed the condensed air yesterday was the reason of the mild temperature.

The contoured green mat stroked into a detailed texture of leaves and trees as we descended from the sky, the once tiny treed oversized my presence easily.

Frost was perched on one of the branched, eyes critical to spot any danger that lurked such as snakes or predatory birds, before allowing himself to scan the surrounding for the flower garden.

Sugarloaf Mountain was massive, it was almost impossible for two tiny birds to find it, it wasn't like finding a needle within a pile of pebbles, but more likely finding a pebble in a pile of pebbles.

Our search for the last – my estimation – fifteen minutes was fruitless, not a single clue of its existences motivated me or him to continue the search any further. The attendances of humans in the site allowed me to think that the garden probably already long gone. I was around two when I saw them, and three years later, who knew what happened to them.

Disappointment finally present in my soul as the sun already high in the sky, not to mention our grumbling belly reminded us that lunch was nearing. My beak formed a frown with my failure.

"What's wrong with that look?" He asked me, sensing my distressing looks.

"I'm just…" I sighed. "You know, disappointed."

We landed on a branch; he enveloped his right wing towards me. "We will find it one day."

I spoke no other words, enjoying his affectionate act. "Okay, let's get you home, your Mom request was something I hate to break on."

I giggled. "Don't worry; she won't claw your eyes out for it."

"That's… comforting, thank you." He said sarcastically.

We soared into the sky once more, leaving the mountain behind us. My disappointment was dissipating thanks to him, allowing me to forget the gloomy feelings I possessed before.

For the second time, my home materialized from the distance, revealing my entire family on the platform. The existences of star fruits were telling me that our lunch would be a superb one, my favorite fruit among the others.

"Finally! I almost starved to death just waiting for you both." Tiago exclaimed, casting something from his talon aside.

I rolled my eyes, "Never changed a bit, Tiago." I stated, which welcomed with a burst of laugh from the others.

I picked one of those yellow fruits and stuffed it into my beak, savoring every bit of those sweet juicy meals, before swallowing them with a satisfying gulp. The fruits were disappeared within minutes, leaving not a sole survivor that marked their existences before – except for me, which I ditched the core into the ground.

We were relaxing a bit, letting our digestive system did its work properly. The air was still nice, not too heated and not too cold, something that quite rare for a city like Rio.

Frost then walked towards Dad, chatting about something. Dad then nodded, his beak possessed a smile; he grabbed his fanny pack and mounted it on his belly, motioning Frost to come with him.

I was quite puzzled with their act, but the thought snapped by Tiago before it was fully manifested. He was wearing a mask that resembled a harpy eagle's face; his beak formed a wicked grin. "Rwarrr."

I fixed my gaze towards him for a few seconds, trying to look unamused, but failed altogether.

"I don't think eagles said 'Rwarrr' Tiago." I chuckled, later evolved into a laugh.

He shared the laugh I was having. "Really? How's an eagle voice then."

I cleared my throat and mimicking the eagle's famous squawk – although it was a pathetic attempt – but still it was better than a 'Rwarrr' Tiago used before.

Tiago was amazed with my performance. "How did you do that?"

"It's easy." I said proudly. "First, you need to…."

* * *

I was reading my book when Carla suddenly appeared on my room entrance. "Hey, Bia. We are going to the club today, come on."

I nodded my head, putting the book I was reading earlier aside and follow her. My eyes caught the presence of Tiago, Mom and Carla, but not Frost and Dad.

"Where are Frost and Dad?" I inquired. "Haven't yet return?"

"They already in the club." Carla said. "Come on, let's go."

We flapped our wings and heading straight to the metropolitan city below. The market where the club was located finally within sight, the bustling activities seemed never ceased from this place.

We jogged into the club, opening the curtain of the entrance, revealing birds of multiple species dancing and talking. The rhythm from the beat was intoxicating; something that would certainly drag you into a dance.

In the midst of color from the dancing birds, I spotted Dad and Frost talking to Uncle Nico and Pedro. We hopped towards them, joining the conversation. "Okay, the moment…"

"Hello there guys!" I greeted them, echoing by my siblings.

"Hey look! They're here. Perhaps we can start right away?" Nico asked, his beak formed a smirk.

Frost face was filled with anxiety, the same one I saw when he tried to tell me his feeling in the past.

"These birds are going to be super crazy when they heard we get a duet this time." Pedro remarked. "You guys ready?"

I furrowed my eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

Uncle Nico was already in the air, announcing the next performance. "Okay everyone listen up! We got a very special occasion today! We got new singers! Yes that's right _singers_! Please welcome Frost and Bia."

 _What? WHAT?!_

My heart was thumping very fast, the vigorous clapping were drowned by the sound of it alone.

I quickly turned my head towards Carla, demanding some explanation.

She sensed my glare, responded. "What? It wasn't my idea." She stated. "It was him." She pointed Frost.

I turned my head towards him, glaring dagger. "What is this?"

"Oh come on, Bia! I like you voice and so they will."

"That's not what I meant, I don't know the song… and I do…"

He silenced me with his wing. "Don't worry; it is your favorite song. _The honey and the Bees_."

I was still surprised, but with the cheering from my parents and other birds, I sighed. "Okay, just this time."

He smiled and grabbed my wing, walking to the stage. "Okay play it."

The music started, filled the room with its acoustic opening. Frost prepared his voice and entered the first verse.

" _Don't remind me, that some days I'm a windshield…."_

His voice was no match with the original artist that sang the song, but still his voice was decent; slowly, I let the tense in my body out, losing myself into the song.

The second verse was come into, one that include my lyrics. I prepared my voice as he sang it.

" _…are my best friend but boy I need a hug._ "

" _Boy I need a hug_ " I echoed, just like the song

He looked at me, smiling. " _Cause my heart stop without you, there's something about you that makes me feel alive._ "

The chorus finally came in; Frost released all his voice as he drowned into the enchanted melody and lyrics.

We sang the lyrics with perfect synchronization, let out our heart do the feelings that planted into the song. My body was filled with fuzzy feelings, something that really warm inside me.

The third verse was my part; I sang them with my eyes closed, afraid of the crowd. The crowd were cheering vigorously as my voice entered the air, sending a wave of thundering applause into my ears. I opened my eyes as I continued to sing, seeing my family smiling at me.

Frost was also smiling to me, his looks encourage me to sing more and more, letting the melodies of this romantic song touched my heart, the words merely something I was recalled, but more likely what I wanted to tell him from the deepest place of my heart.

"… _I didn't look I didn't even try. Still my heart stop without you, there's something about you that makes me feel alive._ "

The chorus roaring once more, the duet of both of us was something really surreal. I didn't mind the crowd anymore; my eyes were only for him.

" _Backyard of butterflies…surrounded me._ "

" _I fell in love with you… like bees to honey._ " I sang.

" _So let's up and leave the weeping to the willow tree_."

" _And pour our tears to the sea…_ "

He hit the interlude part with his might, the hardest part in the song, and he kinda nailed it – sorta.

" _That I knew… I'd always love you._ " He touched his beak with mine.

"Oh, _I'll always love you too…_ " I replied, smiling.

The crowd cheered loudly with our affectionate act, some were 'awwed'.

The final part of the song was nearing, the last thirds chorus. I sang along my remaining part, happy that this was turned out good; maybe because I wasn't singing along, but with him.

 _"And if I reached for your hand for the rest of my life._ " he sang, holding my wing.

I closed my eyes and sang the last part. " _Who knew the other side could be so green._ "

The crowd cheered loudly, the applauding was thundering like a raging volcano. I bowed humbly, but my wing still held tightly by Frost.

I turned my head and my eyes grow wide. He was kneeling, holding my wing; his beak possessed a nervous smile.

"Bia, I know for the last few days we've been through so much." He started, my heart were beating faster. "And I love you and I want to be with you."

"I want to reach your wing for the rest of my life." He stated. "Will you reach my wing for the rest of your life?"

I was seriously shocked, my heart filled with mash-up of feelings, and my eyes started to release its liquid.

I stammered, confused. He was looking at me with nervously.

"I… I… Yes! yes! I do!" I finally got my words, crying of happiness.

He lifted his talon, revealing a simple bracelet. "May I?"

I lifted my talon; he placed that bracelet in my left ankle. Before standing back and smiled the broadest.

Mom and Dad were nuzzling closely, their face radiated happiness for me, even Carla and Tiago was grinning.

The crowds were cheered once again, but my eyes were only set for him.

I quickly wrapped my wings around his neck and kissing him passionately, concluding only when our lungs craving for oxygen.

He embraced my kiss, letting our entire love manifest outside, and bonded the two hearts together, forever.

I was happy, never been so happy. It is true that I want to spend my life with him.

Because we are honey and the bees, inseparable.

* * *

 ** _A/N: ..._**

 ** _this is how I'm going to propose to my girlfriend one day (even though I'm still single... gah!)_**

 ** _Song by Owl City - the honey and the bees._**

 ** _Clarification regarding this chapter: okay, I want to avoid miss-understatement. Frost and Bia aren't going to get "married" soon; They are currently at fiancé status. I have done some research before posting this chapter and the fact is: Spix's macaws reach maturity at the age of 7. So I don't think that Bia and Frost were that young. I also believe Eduardo was around 10 - 12 when he got Jewel. Come to think of it, Eduardo would be so OLD for a bird if he got Jewel around 15 (which by my calculation was around 34 years old, that's very old for a Bird, then how old the substitute in the pit of doom? Remember that they are birds not human - in this age's case)_**

 ** _My opinion about Blu and Jewel's age is because they were presumed as the last species in the first movie (last male and female) this strengthen the point that Jewel or Blu can't mate as they didn't have any counterpart until they met each other._**

 ** _a little spoiler that Frost and Bia aren't mates until the age of 9 and having chicks at the age of 12 (The next sequel will explain this a lot. Please Stand By.)_**

 ** _Feel free to leave a review about this chapter or your opinion about my logic, or you can simply send me a PM._**

 ** _Thanks for your viewership, I can't thank ya'll enough._**


	11. ¡Viva La Vida!

_**A/N: So... how are you folks, Fine? okay. first of all, I didn't wish to write this long. and I'm greatly sorry if this bores you. I didn't know how in the blue feathers I get this far, hopefully, you guys still like it anyway.**_

* * *

Chapter 11  
¡Viva la Vida!  
 _"_ _Enjoy the ride!"_

"Dad! Do you have another story about your time in Rio?" Lyra asked his father. "I'm excited to hear more about it."

"Whoa, slow down there young lady." Frost chuckled. "Come to think of it, there are quite a lot to tell, but maybe I'll spare you the boring one and head straight to the fun part."

"Neat! I mean… I'm started to get uneasy with your cheesy stories with Mom." Leo said jokingly. "I think I need more Uncle Tiago's."

Bia and Frost could only laugh at their chicks enthusiasm. "Okay, alright." Frost stated. "I think I kinda remember the Carnival part."

"Oh that one! I also remember it." Bia joined the chat, her beak possessed a smile.

Frost enveloped his mate with his right wing. "How could I forget… that was probably one of the best days in my life."

Leo rolled his eyes, sensing another cheesy stories incoming. "Here we go again…"

* * *

I was drifted away from my slumber by the urge to use the outhouse. The fuzziness within my eyes wasn't last really long as my consciousness already possessed my body, allowing me to gain a fast recovery with my sense of sight. Tiago was still snoring soundly, a familiar sight for him in this kind of hour. I was thankful that my body suffered none of his skirmish last night, sparing me some soreness I could have gained in the morning like this. I gingerly rose from my position, quietly to avoid waking the sleeping macaw next to me – although I had to admit that waking Tiago was almost impossible. An earthquake might happen and I presumed that he would never notice that and continue his slumber. But still, in respect of him, I kept moving as silent as I could, just in case.

I quickly disappeared into the greenery, relieving myself from the nature's call, before returning back onto the platform of the treetop's house. The sun hadn't yet rise, but in the horizon, I could see the shimmering ray of the golden orb slowly piercing into the darkness above, whisking away the dimness that shrouded the land earlier. The rich peach-colored scenery was enchanted me to stay and enjoyed the sunrise, and the tranquil atmosphere rapidly drifting me into a mediation.

I closed my eyes and allowed the ambience took over, seeping into my soul as my mind racing to clear the stress of the few days prior, relieving me from them. I tasted the blissful air of Rio's morning and sighing wonderfully. The quiet ambiance was only broken with a soft noise from my breathing.

My mind finally got its proper function and my sanity was rejuvenated, preparing itself for today. Peace quickly entered my mind as the fresh air filled my lungs with ease, and my heartbeat slowing its pace slightly.

The state allowed me to enter the realm of my deep thought. Since over the course few days, the queue in my mind already stretched out. The first thing that entered my mind was the paradise I was in right now. I always thought that Rio was some kind of scary place that filled with humans, but after all the days I spent here; I'd started to understand the real experience what truly Rio was. The little incident with Tiago, the harpy eagles, the fight and reconciliation I got with Bia and recently the day I told her that I wanted her to be with me for the rest of my life, all flashed into my mind like a series of moving picture similar to the one on the TV's.

That said, my hunch on the first day of this journey proved that this journey was indeed something I luckily didn't miss. The question in my mind still lingered about my relationship with Bia, on how much I loved her. I let myself wondered what kind of fortune that allowed me to finally get my dream girl, the one I was sure was an impossible standard for such a bird like me.

But then, the moment I told her that I wanted to reach for her wing for the rest of my life; it was also the time when I should have thrown the question about my love with her and focusing on something far more greater than that: to make her happy, being loved completely and be there for her until the end of my time.

I could feel the sensation of the bracelet in my left ankle, the one that its counterpart right now belong to Bia; the symbol of our mutual love, the unwritten promise about our vow as mates in the future. I was overloaded with joy the moment she said yes to me, as it was a surreal dream that I never wanted to wake up from.

I pretty much appreciated the reality that my life had turned upside down with her when she stepped into my life, dragging me away from the pit of sadness and play with me in the Happyland. Giving me the joyous face I was lacking before.

My queues were postponed when I heard the usual tacking noise from behind me, the common sign that someone had finally rose from their slumber. I opened my eyes and saw the sun already halfway into the sky, its body still half buried in the horizon, but slowly ascending to where it was belong in the sky.

I turned my head and saw a beautiful macaw already rose from her sleep, her feather was neatly preened, the common trait for her to keep herself as presentable as possible.

Bia then hopped next to me, smiling and gave me a greeting. "Morning, Frost. You woke real early today." She stifled a yawn.

The corner of my beak was rising up when her beautiful hazel eyes made contact with mine, "Morning to you too."

She then leaned closer and gave me a morning kiss, the one that surprised me the most; I could feel her warm breath as her beak touched mine, her tongue dancing within my beak, the first time I felt such a rush of ecstasy from her, and concluded when our lungs struggled to get some air; the rush of delight from her female essence still lingering within my beak even after we broke the kiss. "Wow…"

She smiled at me. "Why? You like it?"

"Where did you learn that?" I asked, feeling dumb as I told you this story right now.

"Oh it was something I developed myself." She said. "And I think you liked it."

I nodded my head and smiling; I opened my wing and invited her to snuggle with me. She understood the non-verbal gesture I was giving and snuggled to me while watching the gleaming sphere rising in the horizon.

The heating sunbeam soon crept over our body, trying to penetrate its warmth through our plumages and marking the official start of the day. The once serene atmosphere soon replaced with the usual busy and loud noise from the city. I was quite thankful that Bia's home was fairly far from the city, allowing the remnants of the once silence morning filled the air for a while.

I nuzzled her head with my beak, enjoying her perfume seeping into my lungs and seducing my nostrils. My beak formed a smile with the realization that whatever might happen, she would be here with me. Meditation sure is something, don't you agree?

Two tacking noise from behind us was alerting someone else presences; my mind already put a gamble on who were the noises belongs; the sight of Jewel and Blu confirmed my gamble before, and we quickly exchanged greetings soon after.

My belly already announced its protest from the lack of sustenance I required to start the day. I was blushing when they heard the vigorous noise from my belly and burst into laugh, "You really that hungry, huh?" Blu asked me, giggling within his words. "I think your time with Tiago already gave you some of his 'virus'."

"Someone call my name?" Tiago declared as he fluttered down onto the platform with us, his landing was filled with so many stunts that amused the whole family.

"Wow, Tiago. That's a new record for you." Bia stated. "Usually you won't be up until afternoon."

"Nah, I feel so energized today and wanted to start early." He said jovially. "Besides, it's almost the starting of Carnival!"

The sky was spotless as not a single of that gray clouds appeared within sight. While some the soft cotton-candy like were indeed exist; they were very unlikely to bring rain, more likely a tempest like a few weeks before.

"The weather is awfully nice." I stated. "It is quite impossible to rain anytime soon."

"I think you are right, Frost." Jewel declared, her gaze on the sky. "The weather is very nice today."

Carla finally appeared with her headphones plugged in her ears – which quite irritated Jewel as she need to yell loudly in order to penetrate the melody shield that covered Carla's ear. The usual day had started… the sun already high in the sky, just like the spirit of this family today.

We soared into the sky, heading straight into the forest in endeavor to fulfill our digestive system's request. However, the low reserved of energy from the lack of the said sustenance didn't cease any enthusiasm from the entire family member.

We finally arrived at our destination. My eyes caught a glimpse of some brown nuts hanging on the branch, but with my experience with some of them in this city; I didn't even took a second glance and just flew away.

The site we were heading was filled with numerous birds from many species – mostly macaws. My eyes caught the presences of the majestic blue-gold macaws; their yellow plumages were so vibrant like the sun itself was captured within their feathers. The bustling activity of the jungle rivaled the one in the center of the city, the marketplace.

Blu then banked left and heading towards a papaya tree that bore existences in close proximity; I could see Tiago's face gloomed a little bit when his father choose the long rotund fruit from the tree, his beak formed a small frown that barely noticeable without closer inspection.

Bia and Carla were sharing the same looks, although Carla was less bothered than her other two siblings. It didn't take more than one minute for Tiago to lift his voice to protest.

"So we took papayas for breakfast?" Tiago asked, his voice bore obvious annoyance.

Jewel shot her son a stern glare, "Yes, why?"

Tiago was diverting his gaze from his mother's, escaping the dagger that pointed at him, "Nothing, just asking."

Jewel then shrugged and helping Blu to pick the ripe one. Bia was wise enough to keep silence with her annoyance, but sensing her distress wasn't something I enjoyed. I hovered next to her, whispering softly. "What's wrong?"

She turned her head and shot me a look, sighing. "I hate papayas."

I was quite surprised when she announced her dislike towards the sweet juicy fruit, and quickly asking for reason. "Why? They tasted good you know."

Bia was sticking her tongue out of her beak and making a mock disgusted looks, a gesture of her eternal dislike towards the fruit. "They just so smelly, while I do like the taste, the smell are beyond unbearable."

Carla and Tiago soon overheard our quiet discussion and joined in. "They aren't that bad, Bia." Carla stated.

"Oh yes, they are the worst." Tiago countered. "I still remember how much I need to wash my beak to wipe that smell away." He shuddered. "They smell like a rotten star fruit."

Bia nodded her head in agreement, while Carla simply rolled her eyes, returning to her realm of music.

I did like eating those plump and juicy fruit. While the setbacks of them are the smell and the stickiness you might get, not to mention how hard it was to peel the skin (you can indeed eat the skin, only I wasn't sure what kind of mayhem might happen if you do that). The fruit's flavor is wonderful; the juicy flesh is rich with sugary essence, promising the incredible sweet taste and energy that you won't find it with other fruits. I did have them a few times back in the Amazon – although, I had to admit that I never ate a whole fruit, the reason was because the plump fruit was enormous in size; one fruit could even feed the entire family. I wasn't as bothered as Tiago and Bia about the smell. While they tend to reach an unbearable level of stinky-ness, it's all worth for me.

Still, Bia and Tiago wouldn't be convinced as they already planted an eternal hatred against them. Like it or not, it was still their breakfast, and I was sure that Jewel wouldn't be pleased when they say no.

Blu and Jewel finally returned with a sizeable papaya on their talons. The enormous fruits required two macaws to lift them toward the branch where we currently occupied. My eyes were scanned my surrounding when they landed with the yellow-orange-greenish fruit, their appearance guaranteed the sweet flesh they had.

Blu was scratching his head with his primary, his eyes looking for something in the vicinity. He then sighed in defeat, admitting to Jewel, "Looks like we need to get back home." He grinned awkwardly to her.

"What do you mean?" Jewel asked.

"I don't know how to peel their skin without a knife." He admitted, still possessing that awkward smile. "You know that…"

Jewel was chuckling with her mate quirky attitude. "Well, that was uneventful then for the whole family to get here."

"Maybe we could just switch to another fruit." Tiago declared, "…Or not." He added as soon as he caught his mother stern glare.

Jewel then grabbed the plump fruit within her talon along with Blu and heading back to our residence. The jungle was more lively than usual, the color, the chat and everything somehow oversaturated – metaphorically – I guess that Carnival was the whole reason.

I never experienced Carnival, but my enthusiasm mind kept thinking what kind of celebration Carnival was until not only humans that enchanted with their gleam, but birds and many other species. My mind allowed me to create a series of scenario of what Carnival looks like, I kept thinking about some music – Samba, as Brazilian culture – and of course some fancy lights and a feast like I had back then in the Amazon.

But Carla already assured me that it would be _much_ grander scale than the one we got in the Amazon, she didn't spoil to much information, that said, already gave me a lot of possibilities and crazy ideas on how I described Carnival by my own imagination only.

The treetop abode finally within sight after a few minutes flight, the once enthusiasm that radiated from Bia and Tiago was drained significantly. The one joyful Tiago was replaced with a sense of dread, as he was going to meet Bark in close encounter.

We landed on the kitchen counter; the air was filled with silence as not a single inhabitant of the house bore existences or audible noises from their activities. Carla quickly hopped to the TV's remote along with Bia, powering the made-my-head-hurt-a-lot-thing and displayed the current channel, she tapped the remote's button until the broadcast about Carnival showed up.

Of course, I couldn't decipher a single bit of the information it gave me – being spoken in Portuguese. But Carla and Bia's face were lit with joy as they listen to the broadcast's announcement, a sign that information was something good.

"I guess this will be a blast this year." Carla stated. "They add more _floats_."

"I do like the one they shaped like a scarlet macaw." Bia said. "Talk about details on that thing."

I was left confused with their conversation, averted my gaze to Blu and Jewel instead; Blu was holding some kind of wicked tool with his talon, the fact that it easily sliced the skin of the papaya made me shudder and backed down a little.

It only took Blu five minutes to de-skinned the papaya, revealing the orange flesh that smells really strong, but also sweet. Unfortunately, the smell didn't convinced Tiago and Bia, they still look at that fruit with ill looks.

It took only several seconds for Blu to remove the black seeds from the hollowed core in the middle before announcing that breakfast was served.

I took one and stuffed it into my beak, crushing the juicy-yet-smelly fruit within my beak. The sweet taste that soon activated my savory senses was proven my expectation earlier. Still, Tiago and Bia were hesitant to take a bite, but with their mother on the watch, it wasn't an option to stare at the fruit only.

I hopped next to Bia, attempted to persuade and help her. My mind searched for any kind of information I knew about this papaya fruit, only took several seconds before the solution itself came to aid.

I remembered how my Mom wiped away the smell by removing the centre 'core' and washing them completely from their ooze. I picked one diced piece of them and heading straight to the kitchen sink. My time in Rio already made me familiar with some of the human object, and activating the faucet was as easy as flying. Once the water already washed away the ooze, I removed the center 'core', trashing it onto the kitchen sink, before returning to Bia.

I offered her the fruit; however, she was still hesitating about it. "Don't worry, it won't as smelly." I assured her.

She nodded her head and accepted my offer, stuffing the 'refined' fruit into her beak. Her face was still grimaced a little as the fruit slide slowly into her throat, and fixed her gaze with mine.

"That… was nice." She said. "How did you do that?"

"Oh, it's my Mom." I said, smiling. "She used to do that when she gave me papayas for meal."

Blu was watching the whole scene; his face filled with the same wonder his daughter possessed. "What are you doing back there?"

"Oh, I'm trying to reduce the smell." I stated. "My Mom used to do that."

"You can do that?" Jewel asked. "I mean I do hate the smell myself." She admitted. "But this fruit is very healthy for us, and I think that is always a setback from a healthy food."

"I must say that it is quite correct." I replied. "But there is always a way to reduce the setback slightly."

Blu then lifted the remaining fruit into the sink, "How about you tell me how to clean them."

I fluttered to the kitchen sink and started to explain Blu about the things that should been done. We returned back after a few minutes, and served the remaining food as being 'refined' – sorry for that, I don't have any better words to describe it.

The reduced smell convinced Tiago to take a bite – or maybe he was just hungry enough – and his face lit with delight as he took another one.

"Well well, looks who finally eat it." Jewel quipped, "Slow down, Tiago."

"Th'is is so ni'e." Tiago said with a stuffed beak; he then swallowed them before continued. "I guess it is a good thing that Bia got a boy- I mean fiancé like you." He grinned.

I blushed with his compliment. "Thanks, but that should come to my Mom really, she is the one who taught me."

The breakfast was over when the clock told me it was ten-thirty. We relaxed a bit as the digestive system initializing its resources for work. Carla and Bia returned to the TV, skimming through the list of channels, until it stopped when the broadcast about soccer came to life on screen.

I admit that I wasn't fond with such activity that required a lot of energy. I did enjoy the one in the pit of doom as a spectator, but to contribute myself with the said sport is like convincing me to drink another sip of that seawater.

Nonetheless, with all family's eyes glued on the screen; I didn't have any choice but to watch the whole game. I placed myself on a comfortable position and enjoyed the game.

I wasn't expected to be dragged within the heat of the game itself. The clever tactics and supreme agility the players of game possessed were raising my heartbeat, a rhythm that excites me, more so when the team I was picked randomly getting closer to the goal of their opponent and shot the ball with a fierce kick. My heart skipped a few beat as the ball slowly crept over the goal, and hitting the bar hard.

I let out a groan as the ball bounced out of the field, a failed attempt to make a goal. The humans were scattering once more when the ball was thrown into the field, and the heat of the game returned back.

I was fascinated with the maneuverability of the players; their coordinated movement allowed them to pierce the opposing team defense with ease, by the end of the game, my team – the one I picked randomly – was succeeded on making several goals, which also announced them as the winner.

I danced triumphantly, being too lost within the joy of the game until I didn't realize the whole family was watching me with a grin on their respectable beaks.

I swear that my plumage was as red as a scarlet macaw when embarrassment finally swept over my body, filling my nerve when I realized their gaze towards me.

A hearty laugh soon burst from the family as they enjoyed my torture, the one that I would never forget for the rest of my life.

A mild dose of embarrassment still existed within my body when Blu asking us to take a flight into the city. He stated that we could see some preparation for the Carnival which would take place tomorrow. And the invitation wasn't something the rest of the family could resist.

I perched on the kitchen window as the rest of the family prepared themselves for our trip to the city, inhaling a beakful of the wonderful air before exhaled them blissfully. The weather was awfully nice, a common trait for the approaching Carnival, courtesy to Bia.

We soared into the sky when the whole family finally ready for our little _sightseeing_ across the city. I could spot more birds filled the sky today, and the busy activities from below were busier than usual.

The majestic statue of _Cristo Redentor_ shading the city with its enormous size, and the number of tourists only increased each passing time I was in Rio. It was the true paradise of festivities and wonder, while soon would be more complete with the big bang from the approaching Carnival.

Blu pointed to some of the peoples below as we passing the Copacabana beach. I averted my gaze from the sky and look down and my eyes quickly caught some glimpses of peoples wearing weird-looking appeals. Some of them even shined brightly in the sun as they danced their body through the streets and beach.

A catchy Samba rhythm was pierced into the air, enchanted their listener to be assimilated within their realm and dance along. Fascinated, I allowed my eyes to spot another uniqueness of this city could offer. My eyes caught another existence of the unique appealed humans with more coordinated movement this time, and my mind started to get a clearer picture of what was the Carnival going to be.

I was too distracted with the enchanted view below me until I wasn't paying attention anymore on my flight. I was greeted with a large talon with sharp claws the moment I returned my gaze into the sky, panicked and startled completely.

I didn't know what really happened, but the moment I opened my eyes, I was sandwiched between someone else talon. The owner looked then looked at me, revealing a very familiar face.

"César!" I exclaimed, trying to recover from my clash with him; his face formed a smile. " _¡_ _Hola amigo!_ " **[Hello there!]**

He then released his grasp over my body. "You probably want to watch the sky more."

I flapped my wings as he released me, trying to recover from the sudden loose of grasp. "Yeah… sorry about that, I was too caught up with the view below." I said.

" _No hay problema_ " He replied. "So what are you doing here? Enjoying the nice weather?" **[No problem!]**

I was about to answer when I heard Blu, Jewel, Bia and her siblings plus Selena and Miguel around us.

"Hello there!" Bia, Carla and Tiago said in unison.

"Ah look at the three little bundles here." Selena stated. "How are you?"

"We are good!" They replied.

Blu and Jewel started the conversation with César; it was also when Selena noticed the bracelet that existed in Bia's and my ankle. " _O que é isso?_ " Selena asked, pointing to the bracelet in Bia's ankle. **[What is that?]**

" _Isso meu_ é ' _anel de noviado'_." She stated happily. " _Ele me propos recentemente._ " She then pointed me. **[This is my 'engagement ring'] , [He proposed me recently]**

Selena's eyes were sparkled in joy. " _Sério? Felicitações!_ " She squealed. " _Você deve ser muito feliz!_ " **[Really? Congratulations!] , [You must be really happy!]**

" _Sím!_ " Bia replied, her face kept smiling. **[Yes]**

Selena then averted her gaze to me. " _Você é Frost, certo?_ " **[You are Frost, right?]**

I tilted my head. "I'm sorry. I don't understand."

She returned to Bia. " _Ele naõ fala Português?_ " She asked Bia. She shook her head. " _Naõ._ " **[He can't speak Portuguese?] , [No]**

Selena nodded her head. "Ah, okay then. Pardon me." She stated. "You are Frost, right?"

"Yes." I replied.

"Then you should take care of her greatly; never miss a day without her. Because when a girl gave you her heart, she always meant it."

I nodded my head. "I will, don't worry." I smiled.

Selena nodded her head and turned to her son. "Ah, you never met my son before right? Here is Miguel."

"We already met him." Bia stated. "Oh right, Tiago and Carla never met him before."

Miguel was hovering shyly, something that greatly reminded me of myself. " _¡_ _Hola!"_

"He speaks Spanish, eh?" Carla stated. "It's quite rare to find someone that speaks Spanish in Portuguese filled country."

"Yeah, he speak mostly Spanish, but we also teach him some English and Portuguese, being a mixed from both Spanish and Portuguese."

"So, um… do you understand me?" I asked him. He chuckled lightly. "Of course I can understand you."

Blu then fluttered next to us, bringing some news from his discussion with Jewel and César. "Kids, Your Mom and I want to go with César and Selena to the samba club. Do you want to join?"

"I'll think I'll pass this time, Dad." Tiago stated. "The weather was awfully to waste today. Besides, it's the preparation of Carnival."

"I agree with Tiago." Bia remarked. "I want to see more of this year Carnival preparation. It seems that each year was getting more interesting."

"Miguel?" I asked him.

"No… Too loud… to crowded." He replied simply.

"Then I guess I am the only one to go." Carla declared. "I want to sing again with Uncle Nico and Pedro."

"Ah young _Señorita!_ Your voice sure is a great addition to for the club." César praised.

"Thanks." Carla said humbly.

"So, Frost?" Jewel asked me, "Although I already know his answer." She chuckled.

"I'll stay with them, you know, Carnival things intrigued me."

"Really? Just admit that you want to spend your time with Bia, Frost." Carla quipped.

I was stammering with embarrassment. "No… I mean I really want to see the Carnival's preparation."

"So you don't want to spend time with me?" Bia stated, "Fair enough."

I groaned. "No… That's not what I meant… I…"

The whole members were laughing vigorously, and I let another groan. "Hahaha, yeah, please enjoy." I said sarcastically.

"Oh come on! It's all a good fun." Bia said, hovering next to me.

"Okay, we need to get going." Blu said, "Do you guys will be okay?"

"Of course, Dad! Besides, we got Miguel." Tiago nudged him on his back, which invoking a barely noticeable nervous and uneasy looks, "Right?"

"Right." He stated plainly, hiding his true emotion.

Blu, Jewel, César, Selena and Carla's presences soon faded with the wind as they racing quickly into the center of the city. Tiago was admiring Miguel's built, inspecting every inch of his body. "Man! Look at your talon!" Tiago stated. "It's awesome."

Miguel's face, however, was filled with uncomfortable looks as Tiago observing him with supreme detail. Every time I saw him, I felt like I was staring at my own reflection on a mirror, the once I was before I met Bia.

Miguel's face returned into a comfortable manner when Tiago stopped his inspection and hovering beside me, his face was telling me that he was trying to find something to do.

"So… What do you guys want to do?" Tiago asked. "I mean, the weather is awfully nice, maybe we can do some race."

"Oh really? And let me came out as a winner again?" I quipped. "It's boring."

Bia quickly halted Tiago's response. "I don't like a race, let's just take a sight-seeing around the city. You know that having a chilling day isn't a sin."

"I'm with her." Miguel added, "Let's not tired ourselves."

"You mean, tiring ourselves?" I asked, smiling, "Just kidding."

Miguel shot me an awkward smile. "My English don't really good, sorry."

"Hey, I'm just joking." I replied. "Okay, so, really. What are we going to do now? My wings are getting tired."

"Let's heading to the beach." Bia suggested. "There's a lot of humans there dressing for Carnival. Also, I think we can see some of the floats in the city before we got some lunch."

"That's a good idea." Miguel nodded.

"We still do the race right?" Tiago asked me. "I want to show you that this time you are going down, Frost."

"Okay, let's see." I smiled, accepting his challenge.

"Allons-y!" Tiago exclaimed and quickly brought us a confusion to be dealt with.

"What kind of language did you speak?" I asked, groaned, "Oh my head! Just how many languages I need to dealt with."

"That's mean 'Let's go' in French." Tiago said. "It's from the TV show about humans with some kind of screwdriver… you guys never watch it?"

Miguel and I shook our head. "Um… no…"

Bia then chuckled. "I never know that you like that kind of show, Tiago." Her chuckled intensifies, just like our confusion. "I thought you only like soccer."

Tiago was blushing red when Bia's chuckle became more vigor, he quickly change the subject. "The last one to reach the ground is loser!"

He swiftly penetrated through the cloud's shield and heading straight to the heavy crowds of humans in the beach. I was lagging behind for a moment, before quickly dove to the ground, yelling. "Hey you have a head start!"

Tiago continued to dive before unfurled his wing and banked right to our destination. I soon followed his act, unfurled my wings to break my descend from heaven, and banking left to catch him up. It wasn't took more than a few seconds before I match his position, smiling triumphantly. "Is that all?"

Tiago's eyes were widened in surprise when he saw me beside him. He flapped his wing faster, but I quickly surpassed his position. A streak of grey-cobalt was soon piercing the distance between us; Miguel was flying effortlessly to catch us up, his demeanor however didn't reveal any emotion.

I flapped my wings at a greater speed in endeavor to catch Miguel's distance. His flight was incredibly fast, the direct trait from his father.

The distance between me and Miguel was getting closer, but the effort to stay at this speed was straining my wings faster than usual, not to mention the hovering before when we had a chat was taking some toll of my wing's endurance. Miguel's broad wing was provided him with not only a greater lift but also a bigger thrust from the wind as he caved the wind tunnel.

He was surprised when he saw me catching up and paced his wing faster, leaving me behind him once again. I let out all of my might to stay with him, being lost in the heat of the competition until I didn't realize anymore Tiago's or Bia's position.

Our destination materialized soon after, the sight was heated the race significantly. My efforts were welcomed with my position beside him once more, flapping my already strained wing with all of the endurance I had on my body left. Miguel flapped his massive wing faster, and leaving me in the dust easily. He finally reached the end point of our race; his beak possessed an amazement smile.

"Wow! You are fast! I never met a macaw that almost outrun me." He said. "That was amazing."

I was panting heavily. "You… too." I said between gasp.

Tiago and Bia soon coming after us, while Tiago was indeed panting, a sign that he continued to pace himself, Bia was showing any signs of those.

Tiago looked at me and Miguel, groaning. "Ugh! How come I always fail?"

I chuckled. "Maybe next time, Tiago."

He then fixed his gaze to Miguel. "I thought you didn't want to race earlier."

Miguel was stammered, his face was red from embarrassment. "I… uh… Just got carried away." He shot Tiago an awkward smile.

"I envy your wing greatly." Tiago stated. "It would certainly give me a much faster speed."

"Actually, your wing is the last thing you worry." Miguel said. "The way you use them is what important."

"You see that this guy can almost match _mi_ speed." He pointed at me. "That was what you need to learn."

Tiago was shot me a look. "This isn't over."

I laugh amusedly. "Yeah, sure. I'll be here and waiting."

"Hey guys look!" Bia exclaimed, pointing at a band of humans dressed in… well… Spix's macaw costume.

"This is weird." I stated. "This is really weird"

"You'll see more of these in the Carnival." She said.

"I don't think I want to see the Carnival anymore." I said, my eyes still glued on the sight of those humans.

"We'll see" Bia replied. "Yo…"

A loud squawk was cut Bia's words and I quickly saw a band of birds, composed of scarlet, blue-gold, and Lear's macaws, and all of them are juvenile; I guess around Tiago's age.

Tiago let out a squeal when one of the scarlet macaws approached him. " _Oi Tiago!_ "

"Hey Rico! Fancy seeing you around here!"

"What are you doing _amigo_? Enjoying the Carnival perhaps?"

"Yep, sure are. And I can't wait for the Carnival tomorrow!"

"Same here! And oh!" Rico was backed slightly when he realized Miguel's existences near him. "Who are these friends of yours?"

"Ah, I haven't introduced them to you! Here is my sister, Beatriz or Bia."

" _Que linda!_." He stated which make me rolled my eyes; even I didn't exactly know what he was saying, his attitude was enough to tell me that he tried to flirt Bia. "This is Frost, my sister's fiancé." Tiago continued; I could see Rico's eyes shrunk a little when Tiago mentioned about me being Bia's fiancé. **[What a beauty!]**

I quite enjoyed his facial expression; hopping next to Bia and warped my wings against her; my beak formed a smug grin. "And this one is Miguel, our friend."

Rico was a little intimidated with the presence of harpy eagles – even a juvenile one – next to him. Nonetheless, the rest of the macaws joined the conversation. The crowded circumstances were driving me uncomfortable; that, also applied to Miguel, which withdrawn himself quietly from the group.

I allowed myself to withdrawn too, following where Miguel was perching on a branch; his face was lost within his own thought.

The moment I look at that face, I knew that he was thinking about something. And with the fact that he seemed to feel uneasy at all occasion – save from our race – was driving me to ask him what's wrong.

Probably wasn't a good idea for a macaw to ask a harpy eagle about his problem. Still, the urge to help him away from those looks were overdriven the risk and before I knew it, I already perched next to him.

"Don't like some crowds don't you?" I asked. "Then we are the same."

He turned his head at me. "Yeah, crowds made me felt so awkward."

"Any reason why?" I inquired.

"What you mean with reason?" He asked.

"I mean, do you have any reason why you don't feel ease at crowds?"

"I don't think I have a reason for that… why did you ask?"

"Because I think we are alike… I mean I know what you feel."

He shot me a confused looks. "I still confused."

"You see, I wasn't always this easy to talk with other birds. I was once a very closed and awkward… "

"Not that I think that you are awkward or anything, but I can see that… you know…"

He chuckled. "I was that clear, was I?"

I sighed in relief. "Yeah quite, although that was probably because I was once like you."

"So what happen?"

I averted my gaze at Bia, whom was laughing. "Her."

"Her?"

I sighed. "Yeah, Her. I was fallen in love with her back then, but with my attitude back then, I always assumed that I wouldn't have any chance with her."

"When I was a chick, a lot of birds used to tease me a lot, throwing berries and harsh words at me. I was sad, but having no… well, let's just say 'shelter from the storm', their tease started to affect my personality."

I chuckled. "That also the reason my life was so bleak and dark before I met her, for me, everyday was the same, plain and boring."

"But, ever since she stepped into my life, the grayscale rainbow I was staring started to gain its proper color. It was also when she told me that she loved me, I began to open my eyes and see this world from another perspective."

Miguel glanced at Bia, and returned back to me. "You really love her do you?"

"More than anything." I said proudly. "And I'm ready to spend my life with her."

"That's funny." He said. "We are quite the exact opposite, while the result is quite the same."

"Hm…?" I asked him.

"Other birds afraid of me, well…being an eagle wasn't something easy." He remarked. "I do like to play with other birds, you know just talk, play and else."

"But they always afraid of me, afraid that I will rip them to pieces." He sighed. "And ever since that, I used to enjoy my loneliness. They might call me _El lobo solitario_ one day… as I don't know how I get some more friends."

"You do have some of peers right?" He shot me a quizzical looks. "I mean, some friends that also a harpy eagle?"

"I do." He replied. "But I want to have more than just eagles. I mean I envy you." He then gazed at the crowded macaw. "Being able to have friends with other species… sure is something nice."

"Well you at least have three now, maybe four if I counted Carla in."

"You mean that you didn't afraid of me? Afraid that one day I would prey on you?"

"Why should I? " I declared, smiling. "Because I believe that my _compadre_ won't do that to me."

He smiled, the sincere one since our first meeting, " _¡_ _Gracias mi amigo!_ "

I shook my head. "I don't understand what did you just say, but I'll say you're welcome. I'm happy to help."

"Hey! What are you both doing there?" Tiago exclaimed. "Come here."

"That macaw sure is something; I can't believe that he looked at me like I was some kind of Carnival's preparation."

I laughed. "He was just amazed with you, nothing more, although I have to admit that if he ever done that to me, I will probably share your reaction."

He chuckled, "Yeah."

Bia and Tiago then approached us. "What are you guys doing?"

"Nothing, just enjoying the scenery, right Miguel?" I said.

"That's right." He replied

"Really? With a car blocking your view?" Bia crossed her wing. "You should think first before lying to me."

I stammered when I realized that a car was indeed existed in front of my eyes, blocking any view available. "Um… that car wasn't there before…" I smiled awkwardly.

Bia then huffed. "Fine, have your secrets."

"You really want to know that huh?" I said, grabbing her wing. "Or you want to trade that for a kiss perhaps?"

Bia was smiling. "I think I'll take the kiss."

I leaned closer and gave her a short, yet passionate kiss. "There, now we are even."

"I hate that really, they always do that in front of me."

"That was kind of sweet, besides, they're engaged."

"And still I gagged when I saw them doing that." Tiago stuck his tongue out.

We ignored their comments as we lost ourselves at each other. Bia's pretty hazel eyes were vibrant as the sunbeam hit his eye, mesmerizing me for a few seconds, before Tiago's annoyed protest reach our ears.

"Now let's go doing something fun." Tiago declared. "What we can do huh?"

Miguel was staring something in the distance before turning back to us. "Maybe we can see the float before we get some lunch." He pointed to where he was recently gazed on.

Bia and Tiago then inspected what Miguel just seen, but came up with nothing as far as their sight allowed. "I didn't see anything." Tiago said. "Where do you know there's a float there?"

Miguel shot him a quizzical look, before realized something that brought smile to his beak. "Ah… that's explains it. Sorry for that, I mean I did see it there."

Bia then understood what he was referring spoke up. "Eagle's sight. I guess that was true."

"Fascinating, I wonder what kind of sight do you have, sure is nice to have that clear sight of yours."

Miguel then chuckled. "That's because we hunt. Mi _Papá_ always told me that it is what we get as an eagle." His pronunciation was richly accented.

"Okay, maybe we should get going if we want to see them. I hate to miss lunch, more so when we need to search the entire marketplace to find one." Tiago stated.

"I agree with him this time, besides, I'm curious with this 'float' thingy you guys keep saying." I responded.

"Wait… you aren't from here?" Miguel asked.

"No… I'm from the Amazon."

"That's awesome! How is the jungle, I guess very peaceful and quiet." Miguel fantasized

Tiago snorted a sarcastic laugh. "Very quiet indeed…"

We then soared into the sky, heading for the direction of where Miguel was pointing us to. The sight of a half-finished thingy that shaped like a flower was manifested as the horizon lifted away from our bird's eye view. Bia then told me that this float was incomplete, but the sight already enchanted me with the kind possibilities of the Carnival later. I also recalled Carla's statement this morning that they were going to add the float number, which made me very enthusiastic for this occasion.

Our internal clock then announced the lack of our meal in our digestive system, a sign to get some lunch. We were heading straight to the dense jungle of Sugarloaf Mountain in the crusade of our meal.

Miguel then bid us a farewell, bit promising to return back to us as soon as he got some lunch. I was quite confused when he announced his departure. "Why don't you stay with us? We could get lunch together."

Bia then hit me with a wing. "He is an eagle, remember?" She stated. "He ate meat."

I quickly felt dumb when Bia told me that while Miguel was giggling slightly. "That's right; I can't eat fruits like you. Besides, I don't want to make you vomit… you never ate a mouse before, right?"

I quickly shuddered when he mentioned that. "No… and certainly won't ever eat them." I said, trying to not offend him.

"Okay then. I see you back here okay? I won't be long." Miguel then flapped his massive wing.

"Take your time, besides, I think you will have to wait us in the end." Bia stated.

He nodded his head and disappeared with the sky, a streak of gray and cobalt was the only thing that momentarily proved his existences earlier.

We then dwelled deeply into the forest, searching for any fruits available there. Bia was the one that gave us the idea to take lunch in the jungle. She simply stated that the marketplace would be too crowded from humans as the Carnival approached. That said, it would be much faster to get lunch in the forest instead.

My mind soon caught some of the mango's trees around; that also became the faster option was quickly became our decision.

I slowly picked the right mango to eat. Unfortunately, most of the mangos were still unripe; their green color was enough to tell me the incredible sour flavor I could get if I did take one.

My eyes scanned one branch after another; critical not only for the mango, but the mortal threat it could bring. I finally spotted two ripe and decent mangos as our lunch, but the sight was let my guard down for a few moments, unaware for the slithering snake that silently stalking me.

Bia let out a yelp as she realized how closer I was with the slithering reptile, trying to alerting me about it. Her voice reached my ears soon after, but it was too late as the snake already that close with me, and already opened its massive mouth and showed me its enormous fangs…

I closed my eyes and bracing for the jolt of pain that would get onto me, but the moments never came. That said, allowed me to open my eyes and saw a large black owl holding the snake with his talon. His face was soon I recognized. "Jameson!"

"Hello there." He smiled, holding the snake tightly and choke it to death.

Bia and Tiago fluttered next to me, Bia's eyes were filled with a suffocating concern. "Are you okay?" She then noticed Jameson's attendance, exclaimed. "Jameson! Whoa! Never seen you in a while."

"Nice to meet you young lady, and who is this fella?" He then fixed his gaze to Tiago.

"This is my brother, Tiago." Bia stated.

"Ah… another family member, I suppose you like some thrill in your life, eh?" Jameson then smiled, "Another one with the thirst of adventure! Ah young life is so nice."

"Anyway, I need to keep going on. You folks take care of yourself." He said, although I swear that he was directed his gaze on me. "See you next time."

He then seamlessly blended with the ambiance, disappearing like a ghost. Tiago was left nonplussed with the owl. "He is one strange owl… where did you guys know him anyway?"

"Oh, it was a few days before, the one with the storm." I replied. "We met him when we searched something here." I plucked the mango from the tree and offered it.

"Thanks." Bia and Tiago said in unison.

I took one of the yellow mangos for myself, digging my beak into the orange flash beneath its skin and delighted when the flesh contacted with my tongue. Even I had to admit that it was too ripe, the fruit was incredibly flavorful, smell a little rancid, but my stomach ignored the slight disturbance.

I ditched the seed onto the ground with a calculated throw and plopping myself onto the branch, sighing blissfully as my meal sliding slowly within my body. The earth continued to rotate in its axis as we waited for Miguel's arrival. The heated sun's ray was stared to show its hostility upon the inhabitants above, the sign that the day already reached its peak. Miguel then arrived after a few moments, his beak was stained with a little mark of red; I shivered when I realized what that was.

He then licked his beak, acting like nothing was happened. "So, what do you want to do now? I know that _mi Mamá y Papá_ will not be home until sunset. They said that the owner of the club is preparing some kind of audition for the Carnival."

"Huh! I guess Carla will be more than happier when she knows that." Bia snorted. "Your parents also participate in Carnival?"

"Every single year." He said. "They said that, they will rock the Carnival with some _Tango_."

"But… Tango and Samba are very different… how?" Bia asked.

Miguel flashed a smile. " _Ni idea._ " He shrugged. "But you should see them later, you may be surprised."

"Well, it seems that Carnival was getting more and more interesting each passing time. Still, we still have a whole day to spend with, what should we do huh?"

Tiago then shook us his mischievous looks. "I think I had some idea for fun."

* * *

"Um… are you sure this is safe?" I asked him, feeling nervous.

"Oh sure! There's nothing to it." Tiago stated, which didn't give me a slight reassurance.

"Now, Bia, this is quite correct right?"

"Don't drag me into this Tiago. I don't want to be included with these silly pranks of yours." Bia stated. "And why you even get into this, Frost?"

"Well, I don't know… Miguel?"

"Same here, I also don't know." He chuckled weakly, being tied upside down with the soda bottle.

"Oh come on! This is gonna be fun!" Tiago exclaimed, opening the bottle's cap, sliding some of white thingy into the bottle, before screwing the cap back. "Now, this might not as fun as being tied to a fireworks, but I hope the same result."

"What's a firework?" I asked, feeling the bottle started to shake up.

"Now you mention it… I'm started to think that this is a bad idea."

The shaking intensifies and the vibration started to spread across our body.

"Okay, I'll tie myself now… where is…" The shaking finally reached a violent level, and the soda bottle was about to burst.

"Where is the rope? I thought it was right here."

"Um… Tiago?" I asked. "Are you coming?"

"Of course I…."

His voice was trailed as we rocketed into the sky with an alarmingly speed. The rush of the wind was ruffled my feather vigorously as we penetrated the wind tunnel with Tiago's contraption and I let myself screaming for my life.

Miguel was also screaming, swearing in Spanish as we rapidly gain altitude towards the sky, leaving the once well-textured earth into a mass carpet of distorted things with such velocity.

The rush however soon ceased and we started to lose the thrust, the fact that we were tied to the bottle was quickly brought us a terror as we started to descend onto the ground. " _¡Ay Caramba!_ " Miguel exclaimed, frantically wiggling his body to free his body from the rope's grasp.

The lack of airlift from wings was dragging us onto the ground rapidly, I kept screaming for my life as we descended faster into the earth. A broad yellow thing soon sprang beneath us, acting as a cushion before we bounced and returned to our fall. The said impact loosened the rope and Miguel finally broke free, letting me alone with the fall. He was still recovering when he realized that I was still tied to the bottle and quickly dove from the sky.

I clashed into one of those bright colored hang-glider, alerting the humans that currently used them. " _Meus deus!_ " He squealed as he saw me fell with a bottle tied to me.

Miguel then reached me and swiftly cut the rope with his sharp claw, freeing me finally. I unfurled my wings and sprang it as wide as I could quickly, allowing the airlift existed within my wings and stopping me from splattering onto the ground. My heartbeat was shockingly fast from the occasion, my body stammered as sanity started to return back into my mind.

"That… was… insane!" Miguel stated. "Let's do that again."

I shot him a stern glare. "Okay…maybe not."

We returned onto the cliff where we were ejected before, Tiago and Bia were staring at us when we arrived. I allowed my heartbeat slowed down a little bit.

"Aw man! How come I always lost the fun!" Tiago exclaimed.

I landed on the rock in endeavor to slower my heartbeat. Bia then hopped next to me. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah… quite okay." I stated, smiling awkwardly.

"Honestly, what are you thinking to come up with his plan anyway, you know Tiago, Frost."

I averted my gaze and saw Miguel retold the thrilling experience he had while Tiago was listening to him dutifully.

I sighed, formed a smile in my beak, "Maybe… just loosened up a little bit in my life."

Bia then looked at them as Miguel rehearsed the event with stunts to enhance his storytelling, while Tiago was smiling triumphantly. "I think I know what you mean."

I wrapped my wings against her and walked closer to them. "I've told you it would be fun!" Tiago stated. "Right, Frost?"

I chuckled lightly, "Perhaps. Still, maybe we should come up with more safer things."

"That's also when you lose that fun." Tiago replied. "Still, I think I got some more things in my mind… what do you say?"

"NO!" Miguel, Bia and I exclaimed in unison.

He backed down a little as our clear disapproval blast him. "Oh okay… maybe we can do something _less_ dangerous instead, you know like berry fight or something."

"Berry fight seems harmless enough." Bia said. "I'll vote for that."

"Me too." Miguel said.

"Me three." I approved. "Okay, let's head to the acaí palm there, Bia and I would be a team while Tiago…"

* * *

The sun was started to lose its might as the evening approached the city of Rio de Janeiro. I was drying my damp feathers from our bath, the result from the berry fight earlier. The conclusion of our battle was quite obvious actually – while Bia and I was clever with some tactics, Tiago and Miguel countless barrage was putting us into a submission, restraining our possible counter-attack.

The ooze from the heated battle was beyond unbearable, and after the truce, we quickly heading into a stream nearby and washed our body from it.

Carla, Jewel and Blu came back soon after, and I couldn't help but notice the gleeful expression Carla's face possessed, signifying that today she also get her day just fine.

"So kids, having a great day today?" Blu asked. "Carla's here is going to perform at the Carnival tomorrow."

"Really?! Wow!" Bia exclaimed. "Congrats, sis!"

"Thanks a lot, Bia." She replied, smiling.

A human voice suddenly pierced into the air, calling Blu's name. "That's Linda! Wonder why she called me." He then fluttered down into the kitchen below. I could hear his squawk and then he returned with a smile on his beak. "Linda wants to treat us a dinner, let's get there."

We nodded our head and fluttered down into the kitchen window, an oddly smell of alien foods soon swept over my nostrils, nor invoking my appetite or made me gag. I was curious with what kind of meal that produced such aroma, but Bia assured me that it's best that I rather be clueless with them.

I shrugged and retired onto the kitchen counter, watching Fernando helped his mother prepared the dinner. He grabbed three round things and set it on the table, before helping his Mom grabbed the main course to be served on the table.

The front door of the house sprang open and revealed another family member that his presence already awaited. The tall Brazilian ornitholo- ornito- ornithowhatever was looked tired yet happy when he met his family, giving Linda a kiss before asking Fernando about his _school_ – whatever that was.

Linda then served six bowls on the table, inviting her avian guest to enjoy their dinner. They raised some pray to their God about the blessings they had, before finally started the dinner officially.

I stared at the assorted fruits and… well, vegetables – as Bia told me what they were. I could see some pieces of banana, mango, and one greenish fruit I never ate before. And of course, the vegetables' colors didn't convince me a little bit about their taste.

Still, driven with the urge to try something new, I picked the long orange stick out of the bowl and nibbled a little. The taste of the said _vegetable_ was plain and acceptable for me, so it wasn't an issue to finish them as soon as I could.

My eyes set on the greenish-bushy vegetables, which I finally pick one and stuffed in my mouth with a big chunk… and quickly regretting my decision.

The bitter and grassy taste of the vegetables was filled my beak and smell senses. It was a torture for me to finally able to swallow them, shivering as the awful aftertaste remained.

I quickly picked some fruit instead to wipe away that horrid taste from my beak, savoring their sweet and sour flavor.

Tiago was doing the same with me, picking only the fruit and leave behind the vegetables untouched. The sight however wasn't going on without notice from Jewel, and quickly opened her beak to retort Tiago softly. "You didn't eat the vegetables huh, Tiago?"

"They tasted really bad, Mom." He then shuddered. "They taste like grass."

"They are healthy, Tiago" Bia stated. "Also, it wasn't that bad."

"That's a fact, Tiago." Carla quipped. "Bia said it herself."

"Thanks a lot, sis." He said sarcastically, glared at his sisters which shared a high-wing with a triumphant smile.

An idea soon popped into my head to help both me and him. I leaned into Tiago's ear, whispering softly. "Hey, I know the green one tasted really bad, how about a race? The one finished his meal is the winner."

Tiago's ears – well metaphorically – were perked up when I gave him the challenge, his usual competitive demeanor returned, and nodded his head. "Challenge Accepted."

Within seconds, we already dug our respectable beaks into our dinner as soon as possible. I was quite tortured when I need to swallow the big chunk of that greenish vegetable, my stomach rebelled, but with Tiago's pace getting faster, I suppressed that gag and continued to swallow them.

The last piece in my bowl was thankfully a piece of mango which I quickly ate, savoring the remaining bits of the piece to wash away the horrid aftertaste from the vegetables and declared my finish.

Tiago and I were finished at the same time; our belly was plump thanks to the big dinner and our little competition. Jewel and Blu were pleased with the clean plate of ours. "Looks like Tiago already like to eat more veggie this time." Blu stated. "I know you will understand that they are healthy to you."

I snickered softly when Tiago 'overblown' his reaction. "Nah, I know that."

He then whispered softly to me. "Thanks for that challenge."

I nodded my head. "Yeah, I also hate that green stuff, so we actually help each other."

Tiago smiled and dipped his beak into the bowl of water nearby and watched the whole family dine with laugh and stories.

* * *

I was perched at the platform, enjoying my usual activity to savor the night sky before I retired to my slumber. The tranquil atmosphere however didn't exist tonight as the approaching celebration spark the heat in the city, and more humans were staying up late to dance or sing.

Nonetheless, it's still essential to at least say 'good night' to my Dad in the sky, so he would always smile the broadest. Bia then suddenly appeared next to me, rubbing her weary eyes. "Waiting for fireworks, huh?

"What's a firework?" I asked. "I mean, Tiago also mentioned that earlier today."

"You'll see soon."

Her words were still lingered when the sky exploded! The loud noise was startling me at first, but then Bia held me tight and pointed her wing at the night sky, where a burst of illuminating colors were manifested vividly, like a shooting star.

"So that is firework." I stated simply. "Beautiful."

Bia then requested to snuggle within my wings; I opened them and let her cuddle closely with me as the sky exploded with colors, promising one day I wouldn't forget for the rest of my life.

While life sometimes does monotonous and boring, it is actually the moment you should realize that you aren't staring at a colorless rainbow, but instead, you are just expecting more vibrant colors to stare on.

Sadly enough, life isn't someone whom generous and caring. She only wants you to thrive on your own and become who you really are.

I do learn something more about my past experiences that sometimes… simple things are the real colors of our life.

Enjoy little thing the life give you today, because one day, when you already far in the future and take a glance to the back, you'll realize that those simple things are indeed the big things that altered you as who you are.

Simple catchphrase: ¡Viva La Vida!

* * *

 ** _I will refine this as soon as I got time, for a moment, enjoy ... sorry for the cover art... I didn't know that they were unremoveable gah..! maybe I'll design one later._**

 ** _And oh, please kindly leave a revirew and Thanks for reading!_**


	12. Catching Fireflies

**_A/N_1: Hello there guys, first of all, I want to say I'm sorry for the latest chapter (Chapter 11) that being so long and boring. I know I've been slacking off lately, which I will explain down here after the story, so first... enjoy! I hope you enjoying this._**

 ** _I'm forget to tell you that_ Twilight Sunset _isn't a part of Love's eternal light series._**

* * *

Chapter 12  
Catching Fireflies  
 _"_ _Perspective of happiness"_

The arrival of three macaws and two eagles into the busy section of the city was something many humans in the city of Rio de Janeiro quite ignored. The fact that their very sight was already common for the natives allowed them to be ignored from the eyes of the humans that slowly made their way towards their destination, while Carla, Blu and Jewel's attendances in the market quickly noticed with the numerous birds that adorned the skyline with their multi-colored plumage. Blurs of red and gold were a common sight during this time of period, as not only humans that enthusiastic with the approaching Carnival, but also many other species that existed in the city of Rio de Janeiro.

The annual events always been a great times for both the Samba master Nico and Pedro for looking for a new talent to be included with the celebration of the Carnival that hit the deck tomorrow. They were critical to search for candidates this time. The experience of almost including Eva within the celebration sometimes gave them a shudder – not in an offensive way, but you know how Eva's voice when she was singing.

Nico and Pedro wanted to recreate the _Amazon untamed_ for Carnival this year. Since they couldn't bring those macaws all the way back to Rio, they searched for other alternatives here. While the Amazon might have some unbelievable talents, Rio also gained a newcomer over the rest of the year. That included César and Selena which their unique and brave dancing style absorbing a lot of attention from the city inhabitants.

Carla was more than happy when she heard that her Uncles were auditioning birds for musical talents to fill the approaching Carnival, and it only took her several seconds before she jumped over and asked her parents' approval for her participation in the occasion.

César and Selena were pleased and praised Carla when they heard that she wanted to participate in the Carnival, for them, Carla's voice was simply divine and amazing, and surely would become a great addition to the heated Carnival tomorrow.

Blu was having no problem seeing his eldest daughter being so excited with the Carnival and quickly released his approval for her to join the audition. The problem was, Jewel wasn't sharing the kind of enthusiasm her mate and daughter possessed. She was happy that her daughter would gain a huge rocketed thrust on her musical career, but she also afraid; that her progeny was growing too fast… and soon going to be an independent birds on their own.

She was greatly surprised when she was told that Frost was going to propose Bia few days prior. She was greatly happy for her daughter well-being that she finally found her true love, the one that ready to face hardship and share happiness with her for the rest of her life. But somehow, she was also afraid and shocked, that somehow Bia already reached the time when she was one step for being ready to start her own family.

Blu was trying to convince Jewel ever since, that Bia was happy, happy that she had Frost in her life just like he wanted to do with her. Jewel could only smile from her mate's reassuring words, but deep down, she was still cautious about the future of her progeny well-being.

But again, the moment she saw Frost's sincerity, the kind of love he was having for her daughter, the concern she was having ceased quite a lot. She now spotted what Bia's seen within him, the same gentle and caring soul as the bird that standing next to her, holding her wings, wiped her tears and shared a laugh with her.

Blu probably wasn't the best material for marriage around, being awkward and klutzy as he was. But she would never trade him for anything, she was happy that she gained a wonderful macaw with a heart of gold. The one that would do anything to make her happy and possess a smile instead of the exact opposite.

She wished Bia would share the same joy like she was having with Blu, and certainly she wished that Frost would do anything for her and cherish their limited time until the time separated them physically, while their love burning eternally.

She then fixed her gaze with her pleading daughter, smiling as she realized that she wasn't young anymore, and something like this would surely one day happening sooner or later that she wasn't going to ask for her approval and take her own risk and decision.

She nodded her head, approving her daughter request which quickly greeted with a big hug from her eldest daughter with genuine sincerity as she thanked her Mother continuously. Jewel's heart was stammering with the sudden affectionate act, she knew that soon she was going to start grow grey feathers, and the prospect of meeting the end of her time terrified her the most. She wished that the earth rotated slower, allowing her to watch her chicks more as they shared laugh and care to each other.

Jewel's eyes were wet from the emotional outburst she was having, she nuzzled her daughter in her forehead. "I love you, Carla."

It was quite rare for Jewel to state something as deep as that in random occasion. Carla then lifter her face and saw her Mother stained cheek could only ask. "Mom, are you okay?"

She nodded her head. "Yes, I'm fine. Just get carried away."

Carla still left within bewilderment with her Mother sudden outburst could only shrugged, but insisted to reply it. "I love you too, Mom."

Jewel was smiling and urged her daughter to go into the audition. Blu then hopped next to her as he also realized Jewel's stained cheek; he quickly warped her wings around her, knowing the exact reason of her outburst. "Hey, they aren't going anywhere… they just growing up, that's all."

Jewel then fixed her gaze with her mate, her tears rolling once more. "I know that, Blu." She said. "It's just… they grow so fast and I couldn't stop it. I want to spend more time with them…"

Blu then hugged Jewel tightly, an act that he hopped could bring some reassurance and comfort to his distressed mate. "Shh… it's okay, Jewel. It's okay. They won't go anywhere, I promise." Blu then lifted her face with his primary. "I know that you afraid that they will gone one day. But I'll assure you that they won't."

Her beak once again formed a smile; she kissed her mate gently, showing the gratitude she was having towards him.

Blu was also pleased when he saw the frown that once pasted firmly on Jewel's beak gone, and replaced with a smile that always melted his heart like a cheese in the oven. Fuzzy and warm as his love radiated to his mate, for the sake of her happiness.

"Thank you." Jewel stated, simple words that already brought a ton of happiness to Blu's mind the moment she uttered, his beak continued to possess the smile as they entered the club for their daughter's performance.

They were caught in the middle of César and Selena's Tango dance, the one they hybridized with Samba music – don't ask how they done it, they just did.

The rhythm of the Samba was transformed into a series coordinated movement from the two harpy eagles; they tip-toeing the dance floor, moving one talon after another and with perfect synchronous moving to the best part of the dance.

César then grabbed Selena with his wing in her mid-section, sweeping the air as he done a full rotation and released Selena with grace. Her wing flapped with a vigorous noise that enhance the beat of the music, before César grabbed her again and walking with his toe, circling the stage with Selena on his wing before releasing her and began the final course of the dance. Selena then tumbled on purpose and let César grabbed her quickly with his wing, sending both of the eagles locking into each other eyes with the music stopped.

Nico and Pedro approved their act as "Carnival-worth" and applauded vigorously. Their act was also greeted with the series of claps from the audiences that filled the place to enjoy some entertainment, and sure it was paid fair and square. Selena and César then bowed humbly before disappearing into the backstage.

Carla was staring at the crowds that currently occupied the club; the swirls of multi-colored birds were painting the scenery with supreme aesthetic. She had been always prepared for an occasion like this, her only dream that she want to sing for the rest of her life. A little spark existed in her heart when Nico announced her name to the enthusiastic audiences, cheering her name with applause and adoration. It was no longer a surprise for the attendances of the club that Carla, the eldest daughter of Rio's famous couple, that she had the best voice this city could offer.

Some may argue really that Carla was an average singer, but for the city itself, she was a treasure, a great addition to the heated club that craving for something more. While Nico and Pedro sure were amazing, Carla's presence added more flavor to the already flavorful environment.

Carla herself had grown fond with melodies and tunes ever since she heard them when she was a chick, the kind of tunes so catchy that she dwelled so deep into it until it assimilated her into its realm. Ever since, music became her greatest obsession, the same caliber as Bia's thirst of knowledge, Frost's flying prowess and Tiago's unlimited source of energy.

She was quite nervous, the crowds today were more crowded, thanks to the approaching Carnival. She ignored the thought and finally, moving straight towards the spotlight. She could see her Mom and Dad smiling in happiness that their daughter became a star, and the sight gave her a slight comfort that at least, she wasn't alone to face the crowds.

The thumping low bass emitted from the speakers, announcing the beginning of the song. She recalled every single part of it, as she had listened to it at least thrice a day. That said, she was sure that she wouldn't make any mistakes. Then again, the questioning about her capabilities to finish the songs with perfection quickly ceased as the spark inside her heart intensified, ignited itself into a blazing flame of pure passion that rapidly possessed her soul as the melody piercing through her ears.

She started to release the raging tempest of passion inside her soul as her voice pierced into the air and blended with the melodies that played in the background. The crowds were awed with such amazing streamline of voice that penetrated into the one who gave their ears, the soul that Carla embedded within her voice assimilated the crowds into her realm, her world that continued to revolve as her passion burning up.

For the said circumstances allowed the fiesta of color bursting up from the trebles and mids of the music as they enriched the enchanted melody that already put its spell on crowds. Carla sang her heart out and let the passion that built up inside her burst up, painting a more vibrant and vivid saturation to the song.

Her voice fuses seamlessly with the thumping rhythm and the melodies, while slightly different pitch from the song, it blended like hues in the sea of blue. Instead of distorting the song, she enriched the straight over song into something more beautiful.

Carla screamed as the chorus hit the spotlight, letting her heart guided all the complex tunes her beak and voice need to produce. Her bombastic voice filled the air with a boom, causing all the listener to awed her performance with their feather rising up, amazed with such talent that exist in front of their very own eyes.

All beaks were hung up with adoration as Carla finished the booming chorus and prepared her voice for the upcoming second verse. She then moved her body and shook them, thumping her talon with the beat synchronously as the intertwined melodies fill the gap from the recent chorus to the next verse.

She closed her eyes and prepared her heart for the next verse. Her mind racing with inner jubilation as the crowds look lost with her enchanted performance. She wasn't sure how she ever got unto this state where everyone seems to like her, and most importantly, they like her as she was.

Pure passion engulfed Carla once again with its fiery flame as the second verse entered the air, the thudding atmosphere from the crowds below didn't falter her confidence anymore, being too lost with the realm of colors of melodies that existed within her eyes, blinded her completely from the rest of the worlds.

 _Vermelho, roxo, verde, amarelo, azul,_ the colors that swirled within her eyes every time she listened to the music. Bold of yellow and red were splattered into the canvas every time notes from _fa_ to _la_. Tangled blue and green as the lower melodies from _do_ to _mi_ , and finally the burst of purple when the song getting more intense and harder to do from the complexity yet perfection of the tunes that being planted by the artist itself.

She sang the second verse with much mellower state, to differentiate the music and adding more variation, like a crescendo of a symphony. The crowds were stunned in silence, the once thundering applaud and yell ceased away, even Nico and Pedro's beak hung up with Carla's improvisation with the song. All birds were mesmerized from the unearthly tunes that penetrated their ears and touched their heart, and one by one, started to sang along with her.

Carla's voice boomed once again when the chorus returned, she let all the might in her lungs out, the powerful voice she had encompassing the crowds like a charming spell, allowed not a single birds in the attendance able to averted their gaze from her.

The interlude part finally came soon after, and Carla used the opportunity to shake her tails and body to boost her performance into a grander scale. Assimilation was complete and the whole birds lost with the same realm as Carla's.

She concluded her performance as she sang the last verse and chorus, closing her eyes to feel the blazing passion that raging inside her soul. She cut a fraction of her soul and embedded it once more into her performance, to make sure that this performance would be the best one, and it worked.

Fireworks of happiness were blown in her eyes when the crowds cheered and applauded vigorously – being impressed with such talent in such youth. Carla could only bow humbly whilst her soul danced triumphantly with jubilation. It wasn't going to be a gamble for someone to bet that Carla passed the audition for the Carnival tomorrow, and to prove that, Nico and Pedro already rushed to her with ultra-enthusiasm and praise her grand performance.

Blu and Jewel were crying in happiness when they saw her daughter's act go on without a hitch – in fact, it was the exact opposite. They hopped towards their daughter and gave her the smile of happiness they had. "That was amazing, Carla."

Carla looked at her parents with a joyous smile pasted firmly in her beak, deep down , she was thankful that her parents existed in her life and gave her another day to thrive on with the unlimited source of love each day, the one that shaped her as she was right now. She hugged both of them to release the gratitude that lingered inside her heart, which her parents more than happy to embrace it.

Sometimes we kind of forgetting the kind of happiness we already have in our life, being too lost in the dull and monotonous routine that slowly took tolls on our happiness. The paramount concept of happiness itself could be described as millions fireflies that circled around you, as their light flickered in the dark night sky.

The wondrous sight surely – we hope – could last forever, sadly… the reality always been harsh.

For many souls like Bia and Carla that already found their happiness, they understood the kind of efforts to make the scenery of millions fireflies still existed within their, the one as simple as keep two or three of them.

Whilst the concept seems easy, the deeper meaning of happiness wasn't as easy to decipher when you keep listening to the head commands about every single aspect in life.

The journey to acquire happiness that lasted for the rest of your life was something mysterious – in sake for you to taste the Value of happiness itself when you finally found one.

The problem is, intense pressure within one's life is too strong for the individuals to endure; the said circumstances allowed them to see the grayscale rainbow, the one that already lost its color as the reality strikes them over and over until our eyes become weary and losses their vibrant colors.

Then, how? How to understand the meaning of happiness itself?

It is as simple as to listen to the weakest yet also strongest thing that existed inside your soul, the one that played the instrument of love and joy ever since you were born.

The heart is weak, its meek voice always been covered with the predominant command from the head until sometimes we forget to see the depressing life from another perspective. but when you do listen to it, happiness is always exist, in every little and single aspect of your life.

Such examples could be love, passion, family, laugh, friends, virtues, and many more, depending on how look at them.

It is when you understand the basic of the concept when you realized that catching fireflies wasn't as hard as it looks. Simply prepared a jar and captured some of them, so you will always been reminded that happiness… is always near you.

You just need to see it from another perspective.

* * *

 ** _A/N_F: So here it is... I'm going to be honest. Lately... I've been stressed out from my life, the pressure from work, college and money problem started to get a huge deal of my personality._**

 ** _You might see some changes with me from my reviews and maybe... the latest chapter of Winter's Summer where I've been slacking off... the truth is... I wrote that chapter to escape the reality of my life. It's been pretty stretching my sanity into some point where the manifestation of my other personality started to get more dominant than my usual one (No, I don't have issue with personality disorder, maybe you can classify it as escapism form)_**

 ** _And here I'm sincerely sorry if any kind of my reviews, stories or anything (PM or chat) that might offend or creep you out, because the stress blinded me into the intensity where my brain didn't work as I wanted._**

 ** _but thankfully, I've dealt with them and hopefully, reverting to my own-self. This chapter is probably the insight I got when I dealt with my stressful reality... and I hope can be used as a motivation for you who struggled with depression or other bad stuff._**

 ** _And, that's probably it... I'm sorry once again for all of my reckless and autistic behavior for a few days prior, and sorry for the long author's note this time._**

 ** _and oh yes, almost forgot, I have a poll in my profile, and I hope you guys can help me spare a little time of yours and fill them, thanks._**

 ** _Thanks for reading and have a nice day!_**


	13. Squall

Chapter 13  
Squall  
 _"_ _Lost within the calamity"_

The prospect of life sometimes indeed terrifying; I didn't know what kind of thing withered my happy soul into something a distress. The sun wasn't even yet showing any signs of its presence in the sky when I woke up from a series of fuzzy and blurry nightmare that scared me to the core. I stroked my weary eyes with my wing to gain the focus I need, while my soul agitated with an unknown cause.

Tiago was still sleeping soundly when I hopped onto the platform below, watching the darkness that still lurked in with the absence of sun's glorious ray in the night sky. I closed my eyes in endeavor to calm my agitated nerve, but the non-existent problem pasted firmly, and it get me into a level where I started to get real frustrated.

I recalled the past events that could be the source of my annoyance. Tiago's incident, the eagles, my fight with Bia… nope. This was a clueless crusade.

I groaned as my mind failed to tell me what's wrong, the moment where I wasn't sure what was happening to me. The frustration was intensified when I couldn't get myself back into slumber, and I returned onto the platform and stared blankly to the dark and starless sky.

I tried to calm myself, to convince myself that I was just frantic over something that didn't exist. The Carnival was happening today, and I didn't want to get myself into a gloomy mood when the prospect of having one of the best celebrations that supposed to get me happy was echoed into my head. Plus, I didn't want to ruin Bia's family mood over me for something that even I wasn't sure what was that.

I stared blankly over the horizon where the sun was supposed to be there when it rise, my legs swaying on the platform as I lost myself within my realm of thought. Drowsiness was getting the best of me, but I already knew that the efforts to make me into another slumber were something futile.

I silently scanned the vicinity for something to avert my thought, something that could conceal the non-existent disturbance that pasted firmly into my head. Jagged shards of the nightmares returned with yet another fuzzy imaginary, and I finally frustrated enough to just scream.

No… that's maybe wasn't the best idea, instead, I unfurled my wings and soared into the sky, flying aimlessly in attempt to help me get those horrid imaginaries away from my head. I watched the dawn approached the city of celebration. Millions lights from the residence of the city was giving me a sight similar to the stars in the sky, while not as bright and pretty, it was still a wonderful sight.

But that didn't work either; I flapped my wings faster, strained them within seconds as my restless body reminded me that I wasn't get a nice restorative sleep earlier. Nonetheless, I still felt bothered enough to get myself into sleep, not to mention the series of nightmares that could haunt me back.

The unknown distress finally burnt my nerves, invoking a huge thudding pain that drummed my head vigorously. I grimaced as the headache getting more intense each passing time, and finally decided to land in the landmark where Bia and I were spending our night some days ago.

Standing on the edge, I watched the dawn slowly lifted away by the presence of the gleaming sphere in the horizon. The once dim ambiance slowly lifted away and replaced with hues of yellow and oranges that painted the sky.

The sight however, wasn't something neither my body nor my soul could enjoy as the pain from my headache started to get into an alarming tier. That wasn't an option to pass out in here, especially with all of Bia's family didn't have any clue about my whereabouts. I recalled the kind of reaction Bia was having the moment I got myself into a fever. Tiago told me that she barely ate and spent most of the time thinking about me. I didn't want to see her in that kind of state anymore, and I couldn't imagine the kind of reaction she would have if she realized my absent without any explanation.

No… I couldn't get her into a state where the day that should be a joyous day ruined by me, that said gave me a slight determination to flap my wings and ignored the thudding pain and returned home safely.

I soared into the sky with my poor condition, leaving behind the gazebo and heading straight into the birdhouse. My flight was filled with efforts either to keep me stay awake or to stay afloat. The excruciating task was burning my nerves even more, and the headache started to impair me; the usual shot flight was felt like a journey back into the Amazon.

I let myself stifle a sight when the sight of my current residence manifest, it also revealed four macaws that already returned from their respectable dreamscape. Bia eyes were widened the moment she saw me landed onto the platform with panted breath and unsettling look from my headache. She then hopped next to me, asking about my condition. "Frost? Are you okay?"

I ignored her and silently heading back into Tiago's room. Toppled my body against the wooden floor and closed my eyes to calm and rest my burnt nerve.

And somehow… it worked, only the process wasn't nice.

I awaked sometimes in the afternoon with my eyes wide and my heartbeat fastened alarmingly. The nightmares before returned, yet it didn't gave me even a trivial details about them; all of them were a fuzzy sceneries that somehow firmly took process in my head.

The thudding sensation was gone, basically, my body was rested, but my soul weren't. I groaned and stirred a bit, slowly lifted my body from my slumber. A blue wing was helping me to stand up, and judging by the size of it, I already knew who the owner of that wing.

Bia was helping me to rise, her face was full with concern. I also spotted a book that laying next to me, and quickly realized that like a few days before, she was waiting for me.

If my soul didn't get too much pressure, I probably going to kiss her for always standing next to me and care for me. But with a bigger thought already encased my head, not to mention its predominant command relentlessly told me to search for an answer, I ignored the heart's meek voice.

She put her wing over my forehead, and her hazel eyes sparkled with joy. "No fever, that's good." She smiled. "You were acting real weird this morning… any reason why? You also woke up real early."

I wasn't in mood to talk about it, the frustration that existed form my soul the moment I knew my distress could be based on something that didn't exist. The dilemma I was having either to tell her and ending up distressing her as well, or not and concealed it.

My head told me that the second option was probably the best one. And within seconds, I already put an effort to change the subject. "Uhm.. Bia, I'm hungry. Can we get something to eat first?" I said with a faked smile on my beak.

I suppose, she sensed my avoidance towards the subject as I could see a tiny frown in her pretty face. Still, she nodded her head. "Mom and Dad leave you some mango on the platform."

I walked wordlessly into the outdoor, feeling the heated sunbeam made contact with my plumage. The day was awfully nice, something that common when the Carnival took place – thanks to Bia for that fact. But it failed to cheer my restless soul, in fact, they seems to taunt me.

I fluttered down onto the platform below and quickly spotted the orange-greenish fruit. Bia was following me soon after, her face still possessed the same question she was going to repeat. I noticed that and quickly cut her. "Hey… I haven't seen Carla and Tiago, neither your parents. Where are they?"

Bia was staring at me with a surprised look, nonetheless, she replied. "They are heading to the club. You remember that Carla was included with the celebration, right?"

I nodded my head as I dug my beak into the fruit and took a bite, the juice flavorless…

"She is good." I said. "I'm sure the Carnival will be nice."

"Sure it is." Bia stated. "Frost, are you feeling okay?"

"Why wouldn't I?" I replied nonchalantly. "Today is the big day for the Carnival."

She shook her head. "No, I know there's something bothering you, and you seem to evade that and me."

 _Ugh this is great! I don't want to talk about it and she keep pressuring on._

"It's nothing really, Bia." I replied once more, hitting the mango more vigorously.

"Really? We've been together for some time right now and you still don't believe me? Give me a break." She huffed, the attitude of hers that always made me groan.

 _Holy feathers! Why is she so hardheaded today?_

I sighed. "No, Bia… it isn't something like that, I swear."

"Then just tell me already." She said, her cute eyes pleaded.

Defeated, I sighed once more and told her my problem. "You see, I have some issues about something… well to tell you the truth, I don't know what is it, it just get me so restless about something… but I don't know."

Bia shot me a confused look. "What? How come you get bothered over something that doesn't exist?"

"Well, I don't know…"

"That's weird, Frost." She stated. "I don't think you have any issue yesterday. You probably make them up."

 _What? Did she just say that?_

"No, I don't make the problem. Heck, why did I do that in the first place?"

"It doesn't make any sense, you seem so happy yesterday, there's no way you can get something like this… maybe you just overreacting."

"Overreacting? No. I didn't." I said firmly.

She glared at me. "Then how do you explain that? Huh? Some kind of _curse_ maybe?" She said sarcastically. "Come on, Frost."

"I don't know… I just don't know."

"You are acting nonsense this time, worrying over something that doesn't exist."

I glared at her. "I don't know, Bia. Do you really think that I like to be like this?"

She ignored me and continued her blabbering. "Then what is the problem?"

Her words were finally enough to release the built up steam that accumulated from our arguments. " **I. don't. know**!" I screamed. "Honestly! You don't give me a slightest help, Bia! Why I even bother to tell you anyway…" I stated sharply. "I don't want to be in this state, it's excruciating and I'm tired! Why do you think that I made this up myself, huh?! That's what doesn't make any sense."

She was taken aback with my sudden flare up, and her eyes quickly filled with tears. "Well… I… I didn't mean to do that…" She said weakly, her voice cracking.

I quickly regretted what I said. "Bia… I'm…"

She wasn't even gave me a time to finish my sentences and flew away, tears stained her cheek the last time I saw her face.

Guilt and anger mixed up inside my heart, the stupid distress was taking my problem even higher than I was thinking. I covered my wing across my head, feeling the headache returned back.

I groaned loudly from the stressing atmosphere; if I didn't told Bia about my problem, not all of these could have happened. The frustration finally took manifestation as an agitation that burned like a bonfire, prepared to launch its skirmish at everything on sight.

The first victim was the half-eaten mango; I kicked it with my talon and sent it plummeting onto the ground. The act wasn't enough, and I already scratched the platform with my talon.

I sighed; the agitation was proved short lived as my weary soul snapped me out of the rage. I flapped my wing and soared into the sky in hope to find some mental consolation or simply distraction to escape from the stressful occasion.

The sight of the city was filled with even more humans with exotic appeal and fancy stuff they carried. The sight was distracted me a little, that, before Bia's stained face flashed back into my head. I decided to land into a nearby tree, the one that far enough from the city and provided me with some tranquility.

I keep sighing the moment I remembered Bia's hurtful face. I never liked to see her cry, and instead being the one that console her during her troubled times. I was the one that gave her a troubled time.

I hated my life… I hated myself… the once harmless disturbance within my soul finally despair others, and to make it more dramatic, it targeted my love; it stabbed me in the heart.

A rustling bush was alerting me of something else that attended the place rather than me. My eyes critical to spot any mortal threat, but instead of finding something as dire as a snake, I found myself face to face with a familiar black owl.

Jameson was fluttering beside me, his face expressionless, "Ah, young macaw, enjoying some quite time, eh?"

I didn't even bother to reply his greetings, being too lost with distressed soul, broken heart and a confused mind. "Something bothered you?"

I lifted my head and fixed my gaze with the owl next to me. "Kind of."

"Maybe I can help you."

I shook my head. "Nope, I don't think you can help me, my life is basically over."

Jameson was staring at me for a few seconds, stated. "Bird, come with me to the sky."

I was completely confused with his behavior, but obeyed him anyway. He took me into the skyline of Rio where several of hang-glider and birds adorned the sky with their color. We flew higher until the city below wasn't more than a dotted-distorted sight.

"What are we doing here, Jameson?" I asked. "Something you want to show me?"

"Something like that." He stated, inspecting his talon.

Out of the sudden, he raised his talon and clawed my left wing. It wasn't strong enough to make me bleed, but the stinging sensation from the sudden attack paralyzed my wing.

Fall from heaven might be a phrase to describe what I was experiencing, except that I didn't fall from the heaven and the way I fall wasn't filled with grace. I frantically flapped my right wing to gain a steady airlift, but the action only caused me into an uncontrollable spin. The pain still existed the moment I was just a mere minutes to hit the ground, but already restored the proper function of my wing. I opened my wings to brake myself from splattering onto ground, but the sudden airwave that hit my wing invoking the hurt sensation back.

Fortunate enough that my action earlier already slowing my descend speed significantly, allowing me to land harshly onto the spongy earth without any serious injuries.

I spit the dirt that entered my beak, and feel the soreness of my body hit the earth before. Jameson was landing next to me and gave me a helping wing. I was glaring dagger at him.

"Care to tell me why I shouldn't claw your eyes out?" I stated, irked.

Jameson chuckled. "Now, let's not play harsh shall we?"

I still fixed my glare at him, impatiently demanding for answer. "I do that on purpose."

"I know that." I replied sharply. "Now why did you do that?"

Jameson chuckled once more. "You told me that your life is over. Then why you still frantically struggle to fly?" He then added. "What I see isn't someone that ready to face the fate of death, but merely someone that facing a slight turbulence."

My demeanor softened a little. "Oh… but you know I will survive, right?"

Jameson stared at the sky. "Well, that depends on your willpower to live, and I've to say that you have a strong one, just doubting yourself over something. Now, do you want to tell me what's wrong?"

I contemplated for a few seconds before decided to tell him my problem. I told him about my unknown distress that possessed my soul since morning, I also told him about my arguments with Bia where I ended up made her cry.

Jameson was listening to my story with full attention, trying to understand the problem that brought unsettling looks to my face.

"… and that was the whole reason. I don't know what happened to me. Something is just wrong. But I can't put my talon on it."

Jameson nodded as I concluded my story, his wise mind thinking about something before he spoke up. "I've seen that you lost in the sea of doubt."

"You mean?" I asked, puzzled.

"You have some doubt over something, it could be yourself, it could be your family or it could be something that you treasure the most."

"The way I see it, you have some doubt over yourself. But mostly, I'm sure that you have some concern about your family." He stated. "You told me that you came from the Amazon, and simply a youth like you surely have a mother or a father. Maybe, you just missed them."

I was frozen in place when he told me about my family, and my nightmares finally materialized with vivid focus.

It was my Mom, it was her. I saw her gone the moment I returned to the Amazon; I found the source of my distress.

I missed my Mom.

Our recent relationship was filled my heart with realization that I always been loved the entire time from her. I loved her greatly, she was struggling with all the hardship of parenthood alone, and I couldn't imagine how much she loved me until she endured another day even after the loss of her loved one.

My stomach was twisted into thousands of knots, my yearning over her hug and embrace was filled me with more unsettling looks from before, but at least, I'd found the source of that.

Jameson was staring at my frozen state, understood the raging storm that existed from the realization. "I think I've told you before that you must be cautious from another storm in the future."

"I don't want to explain anymore about gizzards, but you have a strong one, thanks to that heart of yours." He stared at a patch of clouds in the sky. "Life is something that filled with riddle and mystery, when you listen to your head too much, that's when you lost in the raging squall."

He returned his gaze back to me. "I know that you have a strong heart, and also know how to use them… then what's wrong?"

I stammered, from both my yearning over my Mom and the insight. "I… I guess… I'm just lost."

"It is quite understandable for youth like you to lose his way sometimes." Jameson stated. "We aren't perfect, and that's when others play part in your life."

I nodded; understand the new lessons I got from him today. "Thanks a lot Jameson. Thanks a lot."

"It's just when I do my part to guide someone into the right path." He smiled. "Besides, it is what we do as friends, right?"

I smiled, despite the sadness that persisted in my heart, "Right."

He flew over me, soared into the sky. "Then it has been done." He said, disappeared with the wind.

I was staring the branch in front of me, the one that greatly reminded me when Bia was startled me and ended up hitting the branch with my head. It was also the day after I found the love that existed from the very beginning from my Mom, the day when we shared a genuine smile towards each other.

Still, It wasn't gave me a consolation, so I decided to seek Bia and asked for her forgiveness. Perhaps, with my problem with her ceased, I could focus to finish with whatever necessary for me to deal with it. I wiped my tears and fluttered into the sky, heading back to the treetop residence.

My flight was filled with thought on how I was going to apologize to Bia, but later shook my head and let my heart speak the words.

I landed onto the platform where Jewel was busy tiding up her nest, she the spotted me and welcomed me with a greeting. "Good afternoon, Frost."

"Good afternoon, Jewel" I said, my voice still tinted with my emotion; I stifled a cough. "Where's Bia?"

"Oh, she was with Blu and Tiago on the market, looking for lunch." She replied, then stopped her act altogether and walked closer to me. "Bia told me that there is something that bothering you, and you seem confused with it?"

I flashed an awkward smile. "Not really, I already find that source."

"Really? What is it?"

"I… I just miss my Mom." I confessed. "It's been a while since I saw her, and sometimes… I… just…" I stuttered, the emotional blast returned back.

Jewel shot me a sad look. "I know from Blu about your relationship with Luna before, and it didn't seem so well."

I nodded. "I was blinded; I didn't know that my Mom was struggling…" I said. "I just want to hug her… and tell her that I love her…" I added, tears tinted my eyes, even when I tried to suppress it. "I miss her greatly."

Jewel then warped her wings around me and gave me a hug. In other circumstances, I would find it extremely awkward for someone else other than Bia and my Mom to hug me. But Jewel's act radiated some of the consolation I was yearning, the motherly love that penetrated into my heart, and I started to sob more loudly. "I was afraid. Afraid that the moment… we got back from Rio, she already gone…"

Jewel hugged me tightly. "Then I assured you that she won't."

She then fixed her soft gaze with me. "I also afraid before, I just met my Dad… for fifteen years I lost him."

"I'm also afraid that my Dad will be gone when I returned back from my first summer in Rio. But, he was there, smiling and greeted me back. Since, I know that he won't be gone."

I still sobbed loudly, letting all the distress, doubts and sadness that built up inside my heart manifest. Jewel continued to hug me and stoked my head, consoling my soul that yearned for my Mom greatly.

I recalled the day I told her how much I hate her, possibly the greatest mistake in my life. But she still there, she still hugged me and accepted me as her son, no matter how bad, how much I stabbed her heart with my words, she forgave me.

And now, I'm afraid that she would go, leaving me alone to face this world, that state allowed me to act like an emotional hatchling all over again, chirping to his Mom for affection.

I continued to sob when I heard Blu's voice piercing into my ears. "What…?"

Jewel shushed Blu and continued to console me, my tears finally dried up after a while, releasing my hug with Jewel. "Thanks… Jewel." I said between sobbing.

She shot me a motherly looks. "You're welcome, Frost."

My soul finally shifted from restless to empty with the sudden outburst.

My body was still shaking when Jewel let go of me, like I was suffering from an intense cold. Tiago and Bia the hopped next to me when Blu and Jewel talked about something. "You okay, Frost?" Tiago asked. "What's going on?"

I looked at them with my teary eyes. "Nothing… just miss my Mom."

"That's… well I'm not good with sort of things." Tiago stated, nudging Bia.

I chuckled lightly with Tiago's act. "Nah, I'm fine now, thanks to your Mom."

Tiago nodded. "That's cool, because I hate it when we need to miss the Carnival tonight."

"Tiago! Honestly!" Bia retorted.

"Nah, it's okay, Bia. I also am looking forward to the Carnival." I stated.

Bia then warped her wings against me. "So, you just miss your Mom?"

"Yeah… can't believe I yelled at you because of that. I'm sorry for what I said…"

Bia silenced me with her primaries. "Nope, I don't want to hear that again."

I nodded my head and smiled. "Okay then."

"I know what you guys going to do." Tiago stated idly. "It's better for me to go before you gave me some horrid 'affectionate act' of yours." He laughed and flew away.

"That boy will taste his own medicine when he got a girlfriend, just wait." Bia stated. "So, you are feeling okay now?"

"Definitely." I replied simply.

"Do you want to talk about it? Maybe I can help you more this time." Bia offered.

I enveloped her with my wings from behind, placing my head next to hers. "If you want to…"

She turned her head and pecked me on the cheek. "Okay then, tell me about it…."

The most terrible poverty is LONELINESS.  
And the feeling of being UNLOVED.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Not much I can say rather than some gratitude over the people who stay faithful to read my story. and... whew almost forget, a huge thanks to Jameson the owl for letting me use his OC.  
**_ _ **I also need your help to fill the poll in my profile, it is my next project after I finished with Love's Eternal Light series (which only have one more prequel, one more sequel and one more bonus sequel)**_

 ** _Thanks for reading my stories. Words failed to express the kind of gratitude I have for your continuous support and views.  
_**

 ** _Regarding the poll, if you are a guest and wanted to 'participate', I guess review section can be used for it._**


	14. Carnival Sonata: Lovebirds

Chapter 14  
Carnival Sonata: Lovebirds

~Beatriz~

The warm sun was basking the land with its translucent light, the sky was spotless, perfect for the occasion of the Carnival. Frost was starting to revert to his own self – which I was really thankful – and prepared himself for the upcoming Carnival that would take place precisely this afternoon.

Frost was staring at the sky, his face look empty with the star fruit left uneaten in his talon. I don't blame him, really; being separated from his only family must be tough during this time. I tried to cheer him up, and it seemed to work for a moment, before the train of yearning returned into his soul.

His state damped my mood; even the prospect of facing the exciting Carnival did no effect on me. I hopped next to him, fixing my gaze with his. "Frost, you okay? I mean… I know you miss your Mom but… well I…"

Frost said nothing and stared at me blankly before the corner of his beak rising up a little. "I know… I'm sorry; I just need some time to get this feeling out of myself." He then returned his gaze at the city. "I'm sorry if I make you worry, it should be a happy day for you and I ruined it."

His soft heart spoke for itself, the kind of heart that always made me feel so loved and treasured. "No, it's okay, Frost. It's not your fault."

He smiled warmly, opening his beak and chewed the star fruit after being left out uneaten for a while. "Thank..a loth, Biaa." He stated with his beak stuffed. I could only giggle with the humorous act; he started to act like Tiago.

"I guess Dad was right, your time with Tiago already gave you some of his trait." I covered my beak with my wing.

He swallowed them and joined my laugh, casting away the sadness that once resided within his soul. My heart was filled with delight the moment I saw the sincere smile returned on his beak, warm and filled with joy.

"So, what is our plan tonight?" He asked, chomping the fruit until its existences wiped out completely. "I mean, I know the Carnival will be a blast. But perhaps we got… you know… some idea on what will we do?"

"You want a spoiler?" I asked him teasingly. "I don't know, it is best for you to taste it by yourself."

He sighed. "You guys really put me on the edge; I really wanted to get just a tiny picture about the Carnival, please?" He pleaded to me.

I ignored his eyes. "No, no… no spoilers. I want you to get the best surprise on your life."

He groaned, rolling his eyes. "Ugh, fine…"

I giggled once more, enjoying his frustration for unable to gain a little preview on what was to come, simply because I wanted him to get the best time on his life. I was certain that the celebration would make him hanging his beak for the rest of the night, because Carnival itself never failed to amaze me.

I recalled the day where my eyes glued firmly into one of the floats that shaped into a Blue Morpho butterfly, the details and iridescent of the color still existed and vividly flashed into my mind every time I visited back the memories. The gargantuan structure was always reminded me greatly on how the Carnival filled with joy and jubilation, scream of excitement from the audiences and the enthusiasm of the performer that never tired to entertain them, was simply worth to be called as the best memories you could have gained in this marvelous city.

It was also the special occasion for both my parents, the time that changed their live forever.

It was quite silly for me to wish the similar thing to happen with my relationship with Frost, but one thing that I was sure, that I would probably get the best Carnival in my life with him.

Frost was stretching his body; his eyes showed an obvious weariness, despite already took a nap twice this morning. But I was perfectly understood the reason of his drowsiness – well, aside from the fact that he woke at dawn – his soul was filled with distresses earlier.

I was confused the moment I saw him retuned back from… well… nowhere… and ignored me altogether; it was also the moment I knew something was wrong with him – I guess, everyone would notice that something was wrong either with that obvious act – only the exact reason I didn't know until recently.

Nope, like I said, I didn't want to talk about this anymore, let's just skip this part.

"You maybe want to get some sleep, Frost. The Carnival lasted until late night." I stated. "You look really tired."

"I am not." He said, stifling a yawn that quickly betrayed his statement. "Okay perhaps. But I already slept twice this morning; I think I'll be fine."

I shook my head. "You know, I was going to ask you to take a nap with me because I want to get on my best tonight." I quipped. "But it seems that you want to stay awake, so… yeah, I'll see you in the afternoon." I stifled a yawn.

He blushed. "Well, in that case…"

"What? You changed your mind?"

He scratched the wooden platform. "Well…"

"I'll be on my room, see you this afternoon." I stated, giggling on the inside.

I fluttered into my room and hopped into my nest, resting my body for the late night celebration this afternoon. It didn't take more than twenty seconds before I felt someone cuddling closely to me, and his warm love drifted me into slumber with a smile on my face.

* * *

The burst of color overloaded my sight with supreme level, the hues that existed in the sky of Rio was enhancing every single aspect my eyes could process. Exploding fireworks in the sky and the thunderous cheer of the humans and birds alike were muffled within my ears the moment I fixed my gaze with Frost. He was smiling at me, only fixing his stare on me; inside that stare, I saw something more beautiful and intense from the fireworks and exploding excitement, the love that he possessed towards me, and the one that never _extinguish_.

The time when the cloud of doubt that saturated my perception over our relationship was evaporated the moment I noticed the real and pure passion he had for me, and he was more than capable to let his heart speak for itself.

" _Você é muito linda, Bia. Estou muito feliz para que você está aqui, me encher a alma com grande alegria. Te amo._ " He said. **[You are so beautiful, Bia. I'm so happy with you are here, it fill my soul with joy. I love you]**

I was melting like an ice cube placed in the direct sunlight, his words seeping into my heart akin to the water that touched the soil, giving me wet eyes in an instant.

" _Te amo também_ _, Frost_." I replied, leaning towards him to give him a kiss. **[I love you too, Frost]**

The world around me started to distort, the once bright colored dream was replaced with darkness that greeted me back into the world of the living.

* * *

I awaked from the immersive dream with my heart beating faster, and sighing when I realized that it was just a dream. Frost was still sleeping quietly when I rose from my slumber, unable to hear his internal clock's alarm.

I slowly removed my body from his wing that encased me earlier, and smiled when I saw his sleeping state that occasionally mumbled something within his sleep. The effort to rise without waking him up was welcomed with success as he didn't even flinch a bit when I made myself into the opening of my room, tasting the afternoon air filled my lungs as my eyes watch the twilight shrouded the land.

The recent dream was giving me a huge grin on my beak, it felt so real, and I hope similar thing could happened later in the Carnival – while I had to admit the Portuguese part was impossible to happen as he didn't know how to speak Portuguese.

I keep staring at the golden-colored sunset on the horizon until my eyes the caught the presence of both my parents and Tiago chatting about something on the platform below

I fluttered down to them, joining their conversation, "Oh hello there, Sweetie." Dad greeted me. "Are you ready for Carnival tonight?"

"More than ready." I stated, feeling energized.

"Ha! I can't wait for it! By the way, where is Frost?" Tiago asked.

As on cue, Frost already fluttered down us, rubbing his eyes with his wing to wipe away the possible fuzziness that still tinted his sight. "Mornin… oh wait… afternoon." He paused, stifled a cough while the rest of us laughing heartily. "Yeah… I lost track on time… so, are we going to the Carnival now?"

"Speaking of ready, where is Carla? I didn't see her since morning." I inquired.

"She is with Uncle Nico and Pedro, doing some last preparation over the showcase later." Mom replied. "I'll say we better be there, this is going to be her best day."

"Of course, honey. Now let's get prepared… I'm going to… " Dad voice was trailed of as he flew away somewhere. Mom and Tiago followed him.

"Here it is, the Carnival, you are going to love it." I averted my gaze to Frost.

"I hope so, because I didn't get any spoilers on it, now it should be that _good_." He smirked.

I let out a laugh. "Don't worry, you'll be. Now let's get prepared."

"Well, I think I'm ready." He replied plainly.

I frowned at him. "You don't at least preen yourself? I mean look at you! Your crest feather is crazy."

He frantically swept his wing over his crest feather, flattening them into an even crazier state. "There, how do I look?"

I seriously wanted to laugh, his look was really weird with the flattened crest feather, but I suppressed it and let out a sigh instead. "Let me preen you."

A shade of peach was visible in his face, nonetheless he nodded and let me preened him.

I removed the old feathers that existed in his body and wing, making room for the new one to spawn; fixing his crocked tail and crest feather. His "hair" style was something unique, it sprouted like a series of leaves very similar to Dad, but also had some that fall down into his back, his style was similar to Dad and Uncle Roberto combined.

I rearranged his crest feathers as tidy as I could, removing the bended feathers and readjusting the flattened one into its original state. Satisfied, I moved back to see my work.

A realization hit me the moment I saw his face similarities with his Mom. His blue eyes and the crest feathers were the exact copy of his Mom, Luna; while his plumage's color and face was probably belong to his Dad; I smiled with satisfaction. "There, handsome." I stated.

He blushed once more. "Thanks."

" _De nada, meu amor_ _._ " I said. **[You're welcome, my love]**

He tilted his head. "Perhaps it is the right time for me to start learning Portuguese." He smiled awkwardly. "I mean… I didn't know what you are saying… maybe not exactly."

I chuckled with his words. "Maybe if you want to I can teach you some. I mean you can ask my Mom for the deeper understatement because Portuguese is very confusing, but I can teach you the basic."

"That will be great! Maybe we can start… I don't know… when Carnival is finished perhaps?"

"Sure, why not?" I replied, hearing my Dad's voice booming from the distance. "Okay, you guys ready? The celebration already started."

"And, oh! Don't worry about dinner, you guys can grab something there, usually Nico and Pedro arranged a feast too."

We nodded our head and soared into the sky, joining the rest of my family to the biggest party in the world. The blinding luminescence from the city was whisking the darkness that slowly crept in, and within moments, we already found ourselves in the center of the Carnival.

Frost eyes were sparkled with the sight people offered in front of him, mesmerized completely with the enchanted scenery down there. "This is… I'm lost with words." He stated.

"Oh don't be, this is just the start." I remarked with a laugh. "You'll see."

We continued to follow my Dad until we arrived where all birds were gathering; the sight of the Carnival was visible from here, providing a perfect place for the birds to have party while enjoying the scenery down there.

We then landed and quickly greeted with Uncle Nico, Pedro and Rafael.

"Ah Blu and Jewel! Rio's famous couple, welcome to Carnival!"

"It seems only yesterday we were _rescuing_ you two from that… cockatoo… and now look at you! Having a life together with three amazing chicks!" Uncle Rafael stated with a laugh, "Quite a ride, huh?"

Uncle Rafael then dragged my parents into the crowd, leaving us alone to enjoy the celebration.

"Where's Carla?" I asked.

"She is preparing herself in the backstage, you guys better not missed her performance, it will be a blast!" Uncle Nico replied enthusiastically.

"Should we go there and maybe talk to her before the performance?" Frost asked me. "I mean, some support… this birds are really a crowd." He added.

"Sure why not."

"Yeah, you guys can do that." Tiago suddenly retorted. "I'm going somewhere else, say my hi to her!" He yelled as he flew into the crowds.

I rolled my eyes, following my Uncle escort to meet Carla with her preparation backstage. The noise from the crowds outside was muffled slightly the moment we reached the backstage and met Carla there, more nervous than ever.

"Carla!" I exclaimed, alerting my presence to her.

Carla then turned her head, her green eyes quickly filled with joy the moment she saw me, "Oh hey, sis! What brings you here?" She said, hugging me with her enormous wing and body – well, no offense.

"We want to meet you before your performance, adding some moral support." I replied. "So, you are ready?"

"Nervous perhaps more correct to describe what I'm feeling right now." Carla sighed. "But still, this is my opportunity to shine."

"And I have no doubt you will." Uncle Nico remarked. "You have the best voice in this city, they'll love you."

"Can't argue with that." Frost joined the conversation.

Carla smiled sincerely to us. "Thanks a lot guys, these mean a lot to me."

"That's what family for, Sis. We are here together."

"Okay, perhaps we need to get going. Carla performance is going to be the finale for the first day of Carnival, so it is best to get her prepared for it." Uncle Nico said. "Good luck, Carla." He added.

"Break a talon." I said.

"What? Break a talon?" Frost surprised.

"I'll explain later, come on, we will miss the floats!" I hurriedly exit the backstage and pierced into the swarm of multi-colored crowd outside.

Frost was gasping for breath the moment I halted my run. "Here it is." I said, turning my head to him and crocked my eyebrows "What are you doing until you panting like that?"

He rolled his eyes and averted his gaze to the gigantic version of birds, insects and many other things. His eyes were glued completely with the shinny-self-illuminating floats below, and mesmerized completely with his beak opened wide.

"Maybe we can get a closer look!" I yelled as the samba music and clapping from people down there dominating the audio realm of Rio.

"Get a clobber book? What is that?" He replied, yelling.

"No, I mean we can go down there!"

"Go dawn here? It's evening."

I gave up… I unfurled my wings and soared into the sky. "Follow me."

I dove into the mass of floats down there, passing some humans that dancing with enthusiasm within their exotic outfits, assimilated within the heat of the celebration when Frost suddenly appeared next to me. "What are you doing?"

"Just follow me; I know the perfect spot to watch the floats and this dancing human." I banked left and landing on a platform above the spectator seat.

"There, you can see the details they put into making these, it is very amazing."

Frost was watching every float with adoration, just like me. The floats were greater in number this year, and my favorite? The one that shaped like a spix's macaw! I never knew that they made one based on us this year, and it surprised Frost as well.

"Is that us?" He asked, couldn't believe his eyes as the floats went by and followed with the one shaped of a scarlet macaw.

"That's new! I never saw that one before, truly a new addition to the Carnival."

"It's amazing, I mean they get the plumage and tail real close…"

I didn't hear any of his comments anymore as I lost within the happiness that engulfed me when I saw him being so excited with the Carnival. He noticed my look. "What?"

"So… you like it huh? Beat the lack of spoilers I guess." I said, grinning.

"Well yeah… I'm greatly impressed with this Carnival, sure it is loud, but I think, I'll manage for this one. I don't want to miss it for everything, especially with you." He smiled at me.

"That's sweet, Frost. _Te amo_." I said, grinned. **[Love you]**

He opened his wing and cuddled me with from behind, pressing his head into mine; I could hear and feel his beating heart and the warmth of his burning love as he whispering softly. " _Te amo também, Beatriz_." **[Love you too, Beatriz]**

I was surprised and melted in an instant when I noticed that he spoke in Portuguese. "Well, that's so sweet! Where did you learn that?"

"Oh… couple days ago… you know… the one you told me about the constellations."

"Oh! That one… you learn from Carla right?"

He nodded. "It was awkward for me to ask her about that kind of words, but since I couldn't ask _Tiago_ for that." He rolled his eyes. "He wouldn't let me live if he heard what I was asking… plus I didn't want to spoil it to you either…"

"It's in the past; I don't want to talk about it anymore." I said, lifting the bracelet in my left ankle, "Except this one."

"Sure it is." He chuckled as he lifted his own ankle, revealing a matching bracelet.

We continued to watch the floats went by, occasionally commenting something about a unique float that happened to pass by in front of us. I cuddled inside his right wing, enjoying our time together; my lucid dream returned into my head, while it didn't match completely with the reality I had right now, this moment had a beauty on its own; after all, what I wanted was to spend my time with him.

Our belly finally announced the lack of the daily sustenance we need to keep going. We flew back into the mass of birds above and grabbed some fruits to eat.

I spotted some of the birds that covered with a sticky red juice on their face, scowling something in Portuguese as they wiped the juice away from their face and plumage.

Frost also noticed the scene, asked. "What the? What happened?"

"Better we never know about it." I chuckled, already suspecting the _accused_ behind the occasion. "Come on! Let's get some fruits to eat, I'm starving."

We pierced into the dense swarm of the birds, searching for the existences of a table full of fruits in the vicinity, it didn't take more than one minute for us to spot it, but took us more than twenty minutes to reach there – the crowds were so intense.

Frost's face was turned into a grimace when he noticed some Brazil nuts that lied on the table. "I don't know how I keep meeting those horrid nuts." He said, rolling the nuts slowly with his talon. "They tasted so weird in this city, the canned one even better."

He left the nuts and heading straight to the assorted fruit in the table. I quickly noticed some passion fruits, and the memories of recent event with them gave me a shudder and ignored them altogether.

So instead, I took a _Carambola_ or simply called star-fruit while Frost quickly set his choice on a mango.

A faint mischievous laugh was heard in the distance, and I quickly face-winged myself. "I hope he didn't get himself into a big trouble this time."

Frost already nibbled his mango replied. "What? Oh, you mean Tiago?" He inquired. "I don't think he'll get into much trouble. I mean… it's not like he will tie a bird into a fireworks or something… right?"

I shot him a nervous looks. "Yeah… about that…"

Frost was going to take another bite when someone bumped into him, sending him into an imbalance state and toppled onto the ground.

" _¡Lo siento! ¡No lo había visto!_ " He stated, from the strange language he used, I already know who that was; "César!" I exclaimed. **[Sorry! I didn't see you there!]**

"Ah! _Señorita_ Bia! Fancy meeting you here." He smiled, before noticing Frost condition on the floor. "Oh well, let me help you." He chuckled, giving Frost his wing to help him back on his talon.

"Sorry about that _amigo!_ I didn't see you there." César said.

"Nah, that's okay. What are you doing here?" Frost replied, wiping away his body from the dust with his wing.

"I'm going to perform in here with Selena! To shake the city and gave them some _Tango_." César moved his body with the non-existent beat.

"You came from El Salvador, yet dancing Tango…" I asked him, confused.

"Oh, clever one! I think people will never realize that _Tango_ isn't El Salvadorian culture… no, I learn Tango with Selena, her grandfather came from Argentina and he taught her some moves." César grinned.

"Right, now I remembered it. Miguel told me." Frost remarked, "So, how long until your performance?"

"Pretty soon… and speaking of Miguel… _¿Dondé este ese chico?_ " He asked, mumbling to himself. "Do you guys see Miguel?" **[Where is that boy?]**

We shook our head. "Nope, we didn't see him."

"Well okay then, I need to find him before Selena rip my tail off, _¡nos vemos!_ " **[See you later!]**

We waved our wing, "Yeah… you too."

"Let's get into the edge over there; I don't want to get rammed and kiss the ground again." He said, motioning his wing into the edge where the floats are visible.

"Agree with that." I replied, grasping my meal tighter to penetrate the massive crowd.

"Besides, I only want to kiss you." He said with a loving smile on his face.

"You started to become an expert in flattery, Frost." I blushed.

"I'll say it's a good thing." He replied proudly.

Penetrating the crowd wasn't easy, especially with fruit on our talon. We couldn't take a flight as to gain a proper airlift was impossible without disturbing someone else. Estimated five minutes, we finally managed to pass through the sea of color and head to the edge.

Frost was checking on me to make sure I didn't suffer any injuries from the constant ramming from the crowd, and beamed when I told him that I suffered none.

We continued to eat our meal while enjoying the heated festivities that currently running down there, watching the passing floats along with the exotic dance the human did with their Samba music. I was hoping that I had a vision of an eagle; the details on the floats weren't visible within my range of sight – which is actually the thing I really appreciated from the Carnival on how much effort the humans put into creating those things.

I exhausted the meal within minutes when the booming voice of my Uncle Nico pierced into the air, silencing the noisy crowd in an instant. His voice only disturbed with the noise from the festivity below that clueless on what was happening up here.

" _Saudações! Como está todo mundo fazendo hoje?_ " Uncle Nico inquired. **[Greetings! How's everyone doing today?]**

" _Excelente!_ " The crowd replied in unison. **[Excelent!]**

 _"_ _Marahivilhoso!_ " **[Marvelous!]**

" _Estão todos prontos para celebrar o carnaval?_ " **[Is everyone ready to celebrate Carnival?]**

 _"_ _Sim! Sim!"_ The attendances thundered. **[Yes! Yes!]**

Uncle Nico then signaled Kipo to start the music, and soon the beat of a catchy samba filled the air. The crowds soon assimilated into the song and danced their heart out as Uncle Nico's voice entered the music and start twittering the lyrics with his amazing voice.

Frost was listening the music with his eyes closed, enjoying the upbeat song entered his soul and slowly his talon tapping synchronously to the beat. I walked closer to him and grabbed his wing. "Come on, let's dance."

He looked at me with his eyes wide. "I can't dance."

"Nonsense, did you forget the one we danced together back in the club."

"Well… that wasn't this crowd…"

I ignored him and dragged him into the center of the crowd, the intoxicating music already rhyming into my soul, tickling my body to dance with the beat. I moved my wings gracefully, just like my Mom taught me to dance – even I must say that I wasn't really a dancer.

Frost was fixing his gaze at me, hesitant for a moment, but joined later joined in anyway. He grabbed my wing as we danced together in the fiesta of bursting music and surreal tone that bonded us closer each passing second.

He let me snuggle into his wing as we danced our heart out, sending the pulse of love into both our heart that ignited the spark that existed within.

He grabbed my wing and spun me around, and I toppled my back as he grabbed me within his wing, locking our eyes together.

I smiled the moment my eyes caught the sincere grin that existed on his beak, my heart finally filled with the exploding sensation… ready to rupture out.

He then toppled over something and grabbed me on his wing on accident. The movement send me almost fell to the ground if he wasn't there to catch me.

"For a bird that can't dance you got some moves."

He blushed yet smiled. "That wasn't a move" He admitted. "That was an accident."

I didn't care what he was saying, I locked my eyes with him as I forgot the world that existed around me, all I saw was him, my light in the darkness.

He was staring at me and I decided to break the silence. "Kiss me."

He leaned closer and locked our beaks together, his warmth breath was noticeable, and our tongue battling in the warmth embrace of our love bubble, neither care about other that saw us. The rapturous feeling I let out as pure as I had for him, knowing that I had set my choice to a right bird.

Simply my undulated passion for him…

...of…

…love.

* * *

 ** _A/N: Hello there! Nothing to say much aside from poll and whatnot... who cares? but please do help me fill them T_T_**

 ** _First, I want to thank Dark Blue-Bird for helping me with the Spanish part (as well as the Portuguese, but keep in mind that the Portuguese part might still be wrong as I borrow Spanish grammar to Portuguese)_**

 ** _Second, Speaking of language (which I quite intrigued to learn) have you guys check Spiros the Eagle Owl's story? he used Greek! and I must say that his story itself is amazing! check him out! That also applied to another stories in the archives, don't let the title and description fool you!_**

 ** _Third, I need a beta reader that could help me with both my mistakes and impression over the chapter, if you interested, please PM me as I need it for the better quality of my writing (Perhaps I'm going to ask people for this, I'm quite felt like a jerk asking people for help yet I told them to contact me)_**

 ** _I think that's all... yup... That's all. Thanks for reading!_**


	15. Carnival Sonata: The Nostalgia

Chapter 15  
Carnival Sonata: The Nostalgia

~Jewel~

Memories probably one of the significant things that exist within our life, acted like a beacon or anchor to something that already happened in the past – which is pretty obvious – and involuntary shaped the person (or bird in some particular cases) into someone they are now. The memories can also be used as the source of an epiphany that happened in one's life and reconsidered their mere existences for a greater cause.

I never expected myself to ever find love in my life, let alone become a mate and a mother figure for my offspring; the epiphany that conjured the moment I retraced back the kind of reminiscences that happened in my life ever since I met him, and the fact that I stood right now on the centre of where all of this started gradually succumbing me back into the realm of what they called as nostalgia.

Funny really- it seemed only yesterday was the time when we created the kind of mayhem to break the tangible chain that let us dwell into the quite of adventure for me and him in this marvelous city during the exact time and occasion; ironically, we bound to be chained together in the end anyway, but instead of the kind physical chain, the intangible chain called love was the one responsible for our unification.

Rafael was dragging us into the center of the crowds while his beak continued to blabber about the memories we shared- even he should already knew that his voice was barely audible being drowned with the excitement and triumphed cheers from the crowd.

I barely paid any attention to his words when the realization from the absence of my progenies registered into my brain and quickly brought our movement to a halt. "Wait! Where are Bia and Tiago?"

Blu then rotated his head, his warm chocolate-brown directing at me. "I think I spotted them there just a few minutes ago… Wonder where they are going?" He then scanned his eyes to massive crowd of the birds, assuming that he attempted to find a glimpse of our offspring, before Rafael quickly brought his act to desist. "Ay aya ayay." Rafael remarked his trademark accent. " _Caras se preocupam demais! Eles vão a ficar bem!_ " **[You guys worry too much! They're going to be fine!]**

" _Não Rafael, não estou segura. Blu, vamos a buscar a as crian_ _ças!_ " I shot back, grabbing Blu's wing and rapidly immersed into the crowd. **[No Rafael, I'm not sure. Blu, let's go find the kids!]**

Rafael however have a different thought and quickly brought our movement to a halt the moment I saw him blocking out way with a smug look donned his face. "Oh come on! They will be, trust me. They aren't that small anymore." Rafael stated. "You two have always taken this parenthood too serious."

"Well I don't." I retorted. "You can't blame me for caring so much for my children."

"And that's the reason they love you so much." Rafael beamed. "Now come on, trust me on this one. They will be fine, besides, you really two lacking your time together."

I started to see the correctness in his words, while we still praised our love in high regards; it was a truth that we didn't get enough time together. Insecurity, however, still dominating a quite large portion in my soul, and I couldn't convinced myself to trust their words.

"I don't think I…" Blu interrupted me. "I think Rafael is right this time Jewel. Maybe we should just enjoy our time together this time."

I shot a glare on Blu, but he was quick enough to decipher the irked mood by simply walked closer to me and staring me with his soft gaze. "Hey, it's okay Jewel. The kids are bigger now than before, I'm pretty sure _they can take care of themselves_."

Those words- yeah, those words probably one the most terrifying things I had to register inside my brain. The fact that Carla, Bia and Tiago would pretty soon reached the time when they need to live on their own, the prospect so terrifying to me.

I tried to make the feelings seemed insignificant, but no matter what, my motherly instincts still told me that they weren't ready- or perhaps… I wasn't ready yet to release them to this harsh-cold-world.

How can I be ready when I know the kind of hardship they need to endure in the future? How can I ever bring myself to believe when I can recall every single despair and lament I have to bear in my youth? Truthfully, I really love them to the core until I couldn't help myself to part with them, and the verity succumb me into a deeper state when I started to become overprotective.

Hindsight didn't last 24/7 though, and sometimes they just too small to be noticeable. I was thankful that I had someone like Blu by my side, he always been my furnace of love, never vanished the warmth of love he had for me, and it drove me wild in love with him, being so loved and treasured within the golden chest inside his heart.

And he never tire himself to reassure me that the kids will be fine- not with verbal jab, but with the language of love he always chanted for me like a chick asking his Mom to sing a lullaby that drifted him to slumber.

I sighed, I hated myself for being too emotional; then again, I didn't do anything wrong, right? I didn't act sans the obvious reason, right?

Blu opened his wing and asking me to get closer which I obliged to do so. He then wrapped it around me, while his head rested on mine, acted as a cushion for him. "Jewel, trust me on this one that they will be okay." He soothed. "They aren't chicks anymore, and you know that we need to let them go one day."

He lowered his gaze until it met mine; my eyes already formed the hot moistures, and gently he wiped away with his wing. "I promise you no matter what, they will be okay, they will be there when you are old, they will be there to spend sunset every day you want."

I sheepishly answered. "But- I don't know, Blu… I mean…"

He lifted one of his primaries and silenced me. "I promise."

"But-"

"I promise." He said patiently; compensated me with a dose of affectionate hug.

I let out a sigh, his words started to sink in inside my storm-coated-heart and quickly dissipated the doubt I had, replacing it with the sun of love from the bird that standing next to me.

I embraced his hug, enjoying his plumages touched mine within the hug, a radiance of warm love throughout his body ceaselessly. "Thanks a lot, Blu." I sniffed. "I don't know what I'm going to do without you."

He donned me with a heartfelt smile that almost melted me. "That's okay, Jewel."

I then noticed blotches of damp feathers in his chest, the spot where I recently pour my salty tears and frowned. "Look what I've done to you." I wiped his plumage with futility result.

He giggled softly and drew my wing away, holding it tightly with his. "That tickles… stop."

Acting like a teenager birds all over again- I blamed my old age for this. I smiled the moment he glanced over me with the glimmer on his eyes that affirmed the burning passion only for me, testimonial of his love for me, a promise that his love will aid me with adamancy, negating any possible doubt that I will starve and or cold at night, because I know within his heart he placed me as a jewel – if you don't mind the pun.

I recalled the odds that brought us together- the same thing Rafael was doing after we broke the affectionate act – which in Rafael opinion was the form of true love, something that delighted your senses when you saw them. Blu and I snickered the moment he enunciated how he managed to _rescue_ Blu and me; ironic when in the end, it was left to us to save them from that plane.

Rafael's topic dwelled me into the nostalgic state after a fair amount of story, and the celebration that sprang to life around me was boosting my assimilation into the realm. The premiere of our nostalgia started with the time when I saw Blu back in the counterfeit foliage room. The premise on finding someone else closer to be relatable, more likely a species of mine wasn't something I already regarded in my soul anymore, all I wanted was liberty.

But the moment I saw him, a tingling sensation in my heart was noticeable- not yet I know what they were (mind you that I never got any dates before) and so, the escalated feelings was chided in an instant.

The revelation of his inability to fly was irked me even more, eclipsed any kind of sectors where the platonic love supposedly to grow. So instead, I retreated back to my main objectives, be free as a bird – metaphor… please understand.

The erratic mayhem that dawned upon us was indeed random and unpredictable, and being chained with him wasn't nice – I mean, you won't believe the number of his complaints during our crusade to break the chain, and with the firm impression already laced my sight, I didn't wager to trust him anymore, or so, until the emotion itself started to incept with greater intensity.

The moment we danced together, I started to feel a fuzzy feeling inside my heart- inexplicable emotion that kept resurfaced every time his presence existed next to me, and I began to ponder my insides on how I started to feel different for him. Is it what they called love? Or just a mirage from another fantasy?

Love was something new to me; I did wish one day that I will be there on my hollow with my mate's wing cradled me as our chicks jumping up and down asking us to wake, fulfilling the nature's call to ingest some of the nutrients they required to grow strong. Such heaven-tier scenery was always brought me a smile, although as the time passed by, I started to get impatient and losing the meaning of love itself.

And came the time to reaffirm and reshape my understatement about it- The moment Blu jumped out of the plane despite his inability to fly, and when he uttered how he was chained to me, I trusted my heart to him. I denied everything and let my heart spoke its language- we are going to die anyway, and it didn't matter anymore.

I still remembered the feeling of the jetting wind brushed my plumage as our beaks touching each other, sending a pulse of jolting rhythm to my heart. Pure passion was probably more accurate to describe what I was feeling rather than love- but it was the seedling of the next level of our relationship, the pungent flower called love.

I love him, I love him so much, and I love him from the bottom of my heart. Even sometimes his quirky attitude get the best of him, it didn't falter the fortress of love we built together, the intangible chain now bonded us, and giving the title as mates- for life.

The image of my not-so-silly fantasy started to rekindled, and the epiphany that struck me akin a thunder when I realized that I'd pretty much reached one of the checkpoints on my life list of quests- but then again, something still felt empty, something was missing.

 _Crianças_

Having a family on my own is always been my greatest obsession next to finding a mate- and with Blu already provided me with the title as mates; the topic about chicks was something inevitably paramount.

Blu was reluctant at first, claiming that he didn't think himself ready to become a father just yet- the lack of skills and experience on fatherhood sector plus quoted by him as "my neurotic mind" would place our offspring in the wake of danger.

I do understand that having children isn't something as easy as flying, it's arduous, and that's the reason why I conceived his decision to delay our union and having a family.

It didn't last long enough until I managed to persuade him, and before we knew it, we already blessed with three white oval orbs on our nest. Happiness flew into my vein like adrenaline pumped in- no longer I able to distract myself for not looking to the eggs and having the biggest smile in my beak. I knew that we would face the hurdles from this new parenthood thingy- yet, I was sure I would be okay.

Blu was also probably having the best time on his life- the way he acted the moment I managed to lay the eggs surprised me on just how strong his love is. Tears stained his cheek as he rushed towards me and giving me a bear-hug while his beak mumbled. "I love you, Jewel. You give me a family- I love you, I love you…"

Just how much he loves me? I may never know. But I do know one thing, that he sincerely loves me, with all his heart and soul. It is enough evidence that he is worth to have his feeling reciprocated.

Love is a fantastic thing. I may never understand how it works, but to feel and having that feelings inside my heart is enough to tell me even the lack of explanation will never waver my astonishment for it.

And I hope the same cases happen with my chicks, especially Bia.

I would never guess that Bia will be the first among his sibling to taste the sweet and fragrance fruit of love- I mean, my daughter attachment to books maybe the reason why I didn't foresee the relationship she was going into with Frost.

I mean- that boy is nice and all, but when it comes into relationship, commitment must be placed as number one priority, the roots of a healthy relationship. I have any right to _doubt_ that boy, because the consequence of love is like two-edged blade, and certainly I didn't want my chick to experience the bitterness of love. While I did started to develop some understatement about Frost himself the moment he broke into tears this morning- that love did exist inside his heart, perhaps if I was Bia, I could see right through that blue eyes that he did love my daughter.

And I consent my judgment to shape itself into believing that Frost can be Bia's true lover, while their age still young, I have a feeling that their love will bring them into "mates" status in the future.

Love is amusing right?

* * *

A playful shove from my mate was drawing me away from my realm of nostalgia. The noise and color from the celebration around me started to reregistered back into my consciousness. I shot him a look that asking an explanation over his action, but before I could muster any words, someone else interjected. "Blu, Jewel! I thought I will never see you guys here!"

Her familiar alto voice instantly recognized from my sampling memory and returned her warm greeting. "Selena! Wow, you're here!"

" _Sim, Jewel. Não vou a perder esse incrível carnaval._ " She stated with eyes full of excitement. **[Yes, Jewel. I'm not going to miss this incredible Carnival.]**

I nodded my head, agreeing her statement while my eyes wandered the sea of color that puddled up into a suffocating situation if I ever get myself in the midst. "So, I heard you performing tonight with César?" Blu inquired.

"Ah yes! That's correct."

Something else snapped inside me. "Uhm… Blu, where's Rafael?"

He rolled his eyes while his beak stifled a soft laugh. "Lost within thought huh? Jewel oh Jewel." He quipped, cradled me with his wing. "He went to grab Eva, they will be here soon."

"Oh… I guess I didn't notice that he said that."

"So, where's César? I thought you both performed together." Blu asked, averting his gaze to Selena.

"He went to search for Miguel, do you guys see him?"

"Actually no." I said plainly.

She sighed. "Where is that boy, he always make me worried sick."

"How old is Miguel?" Blu asked. "It seems that he isn't that young anymore."

"Seven years old, and do mind that age is still relatively young for harpy eagles."

"That's quite old for me, I mean Carla, Bia and Tiago are five years old right now…" He stopped when he noticed my stern glare. "Uhm… honey, do you hungry? Let me grab something for you." He added awkwardly.

I didn't realize that until Blu asked me to grab some meal, my belly started its series of protest, and I obliged its demand for some daily sustenance. "Yes please."

He pecked me on the cheek, sending a pulse of tingling where his beak recently touched. "I'll be back beautiful, just wait."

I smiled as I watched his departure into the sea of color from the plumages of birds alike, my heart felt so warm.

"He is so caring to you. You are really lucky." Selena stated.

I blushed. "Oh no, I mean yes. I believe César as caring as him."

Selena donned a smile to her face. "Yeah, sometimes I wonder how I deserved someone like him, and I felt like I didn't love him enough."

She then frowned. "I never know how tired it is for him to keep reassuring me that Miguel is just growing up and I need to accept the truth. I guess- well, I'm not ready to part with my chick just yet, even he isn't a chick anymore, he always be to me."

"That's funny." I stated.

"Hm?" She asked.

"I mean- you see, Blu and me just having the exact conversation regarding the kids, with the same reason." I admitted. "It seems that they grow too fast. I loathed myself for being so self-conscious right now because I always worried for my chicks, the future might be bleak or not, I just can't bear myself to let harm get its talon on them."

Selena nodded, affirming the kind of distress we both shared as a Mother. "I do understand that feeling- no matter how much César told me to just calm down." She then inhaled a deep breath. "While I still hold some grudge over the idea, like it or not, I need to accept it sooner or later."

She puffed some of her breath rather rapidly, before continuing. "You see- César always told me that no matter what, family is the utmost. I know we already taught Miguel about the concept of the family, how importance it is to keep in touch- and he like it, I know he loves me and César as a whole."

"But still I have doubt, not just about Miguel, but my love with César as a whole."

"What do you mean?" I baffled. "I mean César loves you and what Miguel has to do with this?"

She turned crimson, but sighing and resuming. "Well, having chicks in my opinion is the one that united me and César closer than before, you know- like the symbol or fruit of our love." She confessed. "And with the absence of Miguel one day, I don't know if I'm going to see him as I _see_ him right now."

Selena's reasons might seem ludicrous; I mean- I didn't get the logic or any sense behind her statement. I didn't need chicks to prove our love, because I know his love is purely only directed to me, and it never vanished until the earth come to an end. But then again, I appreciated how people perceive love differently, for me, I don't need symbol for it, I just need reassurance, I just need sense of security that I won't be abandoned or left shivering in the cold night, and Blu already provided me with more than I ever need.

Selena then chuckled. "That's why César assured me that if chicks really are what I need to feel loved, he stated that we can always have more in the future."

I will take note on that, having more chicks never been crossed inside my head because Carla, Bia and Tiago already enough for me, but if I ever longing for more of them, I guess it isn't a bad idea.

"Ah yes, I think I need to get ready right now. _Adeus!_ " Selena exclaimed a farewell, opening her massive wing and soared into the sky.

Blu then returned with some star-fruit in his talon. "Uh, I'm sorry I took so long. The crowd is more crowded than I remembered."

"Really? I mean- I don't remember our first Carnival because of that stupid cockatoo." I stated. "By the way, where's Rafael, thought he will get back here with Eva."

"Maybe they got a little problem with their _you-know-what_ while I adore them for their integrity with chicks." Blu chuckled, "You still thinking about the kids? I mean…"

"Yes, but I think I'll manage this time, Blu." I interjected. "Let's just have some fun tonight."

Blu nodded twice, lifting his talon and offer me the star-fruit. "Here, you must be very hungry."

"No, I'm so full I'm going to throw up." I said, my voice rich with sarcasm.

Blu only tittered softly as he dragged me closer to the edge. "You told me that you missed your first Carnival huh? But I think that's a good thing we miss them."

Dumbfounded, I asked. "What do you mean?"

"I mean if we didn't miss them, I don't think I will ever get the chance to tell you that I love you."

"It's not true Blu." I replied. "I mean you are the most sweetest and caring bird I've ever known, don't you dare questioning that again." I huffed playfully, crossing my wing.

"No... Jewel…" He then burst into laugh. "I mean it is the Carnival that brought us together. I didn't have the courage to tell you my feelings until we fall together, but I accept the compliment."

I turned crimson with his words. "Well, I thought you questioned your liability once more, because you always do that even you know that you are more than enough for me." I cooed.

"That's so… nice, I feel so warm, thanks a lot, Jewel." Blu then took a portion bite of his star-fruit.

The scent drove me mad to attack the yellow star-shaped-fruit – bad description eh? – And quickly reduced it within seconds, the pulp tasted so sour and sweet at the same time, I lifted my talon for more, only to be greeted with empty talon.

Blu was watching me with amusing look. "You really are that hungry huh? Here take this; I'm quite full at the moment." He taloned me his meal.

I shook my head to deny, but my belly betrayed me before I could form word and ejected them into my beak, its loud grumbling made my vocal cord let out a groan.

The tantalizing noise resonated into the crowd, and I was SO thankful that the music was so loud even our voice was muffled into whisper. The sound however felt like a fireworks, and the containment of my shame represented with a shade of peach on my cheek.

"My mate really are that hungry." Blu stated lovingly. "Here I'm really full."

I promptly glanced into his caring chocolate-eyes, formed a smile on my beak and snatched the yellow meal out of his talon. "Thanks a lot, Blu."

He caressed me with his wing. "Anytime, _Meu amor_."

My heart was filled with delight every time he touched me and gave me his affection, I feel so loved, he knew how to tickle me in the heart, and I couldn't resist to utter the magical three words that never got old no matter how much we already said it. "I love you, Blu."

"I love you too, Jewel."

It wasn't long until I heard an impish laughter filled the air, and to confirm my suspicion, several birds- their plumage stained with red juice already berating in Portuguese. I promptly brought my wing over my head, sensing a migraine built up. "Oh, Tiago."

"Blu, we need to search for Tiago, I don't know what kind of mayhem he will caused this time."

"Are you sure it was him? I mean I know he is as mischievous as a bat, but I don't think everything that happened is _his_ fault." He then added. "Besides, it's Carnival, I think some birds will appreciate the joke if and if only it is indeed Tiago."

"I don't know, perhaps it is best to just be safe."

Blu sighed. "Okay, Jewel, you win. But please keep in mind that he will be okay."

I beckoned and soared into the sky, eyes scanned the multi-colored blobs on the ground looking for a shade of blue within them. The crusade was fruitless, until I heard Blu squawking and motioned me to descend. I beat my wings rapidly, allowing the airlift to cease without getting me smacking onto the ground.

And that's where I saw my only son coated with repulsive red juice. "What?! What happened to you?"

Tiago rotated his head, his face blotched completely with the red juice, but I could see his weak smile. "Oh hi Mom, Dad."

"Tiago Gunderson, explain this." I commanded. "What happened to you?"

"Let's just say that I got inside my own prank." He replied huskily. "Yeah… it didn't work so well."

My effort to contain the laughter soon rewarded with a failure to do so, a small laugh escaped my beak, and it started to infect other as well when the whole attendees laughing heartily. "Taste your own medicine eh little bird?" I teased.

He nodded, but his beak quickly donned into a sly smile. "Mom, I need a HUG!"

He launched his body onto mine, sending a fair amount of the sticky juice into my plumage while running away into his father as well, his mischievous laughter reverberated into the noisy atmosphere.

I wasn't prepared when he lunged towards me, the crash plus extra the repulsive juice became inevitable issues. I could hear him laughing triumphantly as he chased his father.

I might get irked with the sticky ooze covered my body, but somehow, seeing him charging to his father while Blu frantically running like he was being pursued with a jaguar was stroking amusing to me, it helped me ignored the sticky sensation for a while.

It was something spectacle to watch someone being chased by his son, and in the end, Blu efforts to be spared from the same sticky ooze was rewarded with a _sticky ooze_ – ironically – slowly dripping from his feathers. Tiago didn't deterred when I flew towards them; instead, a huge victorious smile donned his face.

Before I could scold him, his beak muttered. "I love you Mom, Dad." And the words die away.

This is the reason why I can't let them go, I mean- I love them too, to the core, and suddenly there is a prospect when they won't be there with me? I might be acting like emotional hatchlings, but that's what I felt- I wanted to stay like this if I could.

I smiled heartedly. "Love you too, Tiago." I nuzzled him.

"Mom, can we do this later? I mean…"

"Nope!" I interrupted. "This is what you want right?" I said jovially, hugging him more tightly.

He somehow obliged, sans any effort to restrain the affectionate act that usually he thought as _uncool._ I could hear his tiny heart beating and vibrating into my body, and so, I could feel the radiance of his love as well.

He nuzzled into my chest during the period of the hug, breaking when I finally let go of him. He kept the smile on his face. "I really need that Mom, thanks a lot, love you."

He might be not as emotional as Frost, but I could feel that he was crying on the inside, only logical masked firmly etched on his face. "I'm going to wash this gunk away from me, see ya later!" with that, he flew into the crowd and his presence dissipated.

I didn't realize I was crying until Blu warped his wing around me. "You getting more emotional lately, Jewel."

"It's not my fault!" I replied harshly, but quickly regretted on how I picked my vocal cord pitch. "Oh… sorry, I… don't know what happened."

Patiently as always, he didn't waver or shock with my attitude, but console with me with his redundant love that never failed to penetrate my heart.

He spoke no words, but his action announced loudly on how much he cared about me, and with it slowly reducing my solemnity until it died away by itself, burned in the wake of intense fire named love.

I crumpled my body deeper into his embrace, sodden his juice stained plumage once more with my salty tears. He didn't mind, keeping his wing around me as long as I required to let the sadness waning.

"You okay now, Jewel?" He asked me gently, nuzzling my head.

"I… think, I'm… fine." I stated between my sob.

"It's not the end, Jewel. We will meet them again tomorrow."

"I know, Blu. I just… you know… I hate it when it isn't clear… I can't bring myself to a faith."

"You make it like they are going to die tonight or something." Blu sighed- I suppose, he has any right to be frustrated, but no, no he didn't.

"I don't want you to cry, Jewel. Every time I see that eye shed a tear, my heart got stabbed, I can't bear the pain, it hurts a lot… it hurts a lot to see you stay inside lament."

"Please help me will you? I love you, Jewel, and I will do anything for you, please don't cry anymore."

You know the feeling of intense love? No? Well because it is very hard to describe. I mean every diluted aspect in your life is being reinforced immediately, flawless creation when you and your partner completed each other. I can't express how the intense platonic love is, but when you finally find it; trust me that it is going to be the last thing you ever wished. Love is a quintessential thing.

"How can I ever enough to say gratitude to you, Blu. You always stand with me undeterred no matter how much obstacles we have to endure?" I asked with my tears-tinted-vision.

"Because you are my mate, the only lovely one, your happiness is my happiness. Happy wife, happy life." He replied.

"Isn't it quite a bad phrase? I mean you put me so high, until you forget your own happiness?" I inquired.

He inhaled a deep breath. "That's when you don't see the rightness inside a phrase, I mean when you just thinking on what meets the eye."

"It is true, Jewel; that in a relationship, both parties must acquire happiness in order to call them as a healthy relationship, so their love blossomed, trusting and finally, marriage."

He then looking at me. "For males- I mean at least to me, I pretty much thinking about your happiness, you are a mother of my chicks, a lovely wife I could never ask any more. Why? It's not about buying a flower and rubbing it on your face, or simply I have to oblige with everything you wish. No, but there is a deeper meaning inside it."

"Now, if we talk a blatantly, the phrase feel so overweight, and it seems that wife is the most important in here, but the truth is, both parties are important."

He smiled at me. "And here is come the deeper meaning of it." He then added. "What makes someone happy is unique, I mean one bird can be happy just because he ate a tasty mango, while some can only be pleased with big things, call it for example, having a mate or chicks."

"Now, to make your partner happy, in this case, a true love, it didn't need so many things to do. Happy wife means I _want_ not _need_ to make you happy, and so, how do I do that?"

He enveloped me with his wing and snuggled closely with me. "Are you happy now?"

I nodded my head, embracing his warm body.

"That's how I need do it, and how everyone should do it."

"I'm still confused." I stated.

He inhaled a deep breath once more. "Happiness is love, and when I love you, you'll be happy. It is my task to make you feel completely loved, as well as maintaining your steady happiness. Because when I do my job to love you, I also get the joy myself."

"Now, love is about trust and integrity, when we take a vow as a mate, you trusted your heart with me that I will always treasured it, just like I trusted my heart to you. Love isn't a proposal, and you should remember that."

"Love is about to ensure each other happiness, because… well this one kinda tough, well because it is love… that's just it. And so, my happiness is your happiness, your sorrow is also my sorrow, as our heart already molded into one."

"That's why I can proudly say, _Esposa feliz, vida feliz_. Because I want to show my love to you, I want you to be happy, and every time I saw your smile, I'm happy already." **[Happy wife, happy life]**

I felt my heart skipped a few beats as he finished his speech. "Where did you learn all of that?"

He pecked me on the cheek. "I learn that from you, gorgeous."

I blushed. "Oh, that's so sweet, but seriously, where did you learn that?"

He patiently repeated his response. "It is from you. Our marriage makes me introspect myself, to make me into a better bird both as a father figure for our chicks as well as a loving mate for you."

I deadpanned with the wisdom he carried, stuck in awe that I didn't just get the right bird, but the _perfect_ one to spend my time with. "Blu."

"Hmm…?"

I touched my beak with his, giving a sugary kiss, a form of my contentment love that surged and ruptured with a passion, and I never wanted this moment came to an end.

A catchy samba music resonated through my eardrums. "Come on, let's dance."

I didn't care even if our plumage was coated with red stain. I didn't care if the crowd look at us funny, what I care was he was here, with me, never left my heart, because we caged each other hearts, and molding them into a singularity.

Blu averted his gaze and speak. "Looks like we aren't the only one induced by love tonight." He smiled, pointing at my back.

I turned my head and saw Bia and Frost kissing together, passion filled their soul until they ignored the world that revolved around them. "I'll say."

"So, do you like Samba now?"

"Nope, I still haven't grown fond of them." Blu chuckled. "But I guess, tonight is an exception."

Like I said before, Love is amusing, right?

* * *

 ** _A/N: hello there! sorry for the delays as I'm *snort* currently sick right now, but still able to write thankfully._**

 ** _and pretty much it... XD I didn't have anything to say._**

 ** _oh yes, perhaps I want to thank people for keep reading this story, your faithful viewership didn't come unnoticed, so as always, Thanks for reading, and don't forget to leave a review!_**


	16. Carnival Sonata: Pranknaissance

Chapter 16  
Carnival Sonata: Pranknaissance

~Tiago~

Friendship is probably one of the most powerful and significant thing ever existed in one's life, I mean- can you imagined your life without a companion? Or at least someone you can depend upon to? Well, I believe I won't survive a day without it anyway, while I do know that my pranks sometimes can mess my relationship with others, I never really know just how harmful a prank could be until the Carnival took place, tasting my own medicine sometimes probably the thing I required the most one of these days; the main reason is probably I wasn't aware the kind of mayhem I could bring when I do that, and the premise of what I called "Harmless" would be changed within the Carnival once for all.

* * *

Carnival, yeah, smell the air, feel the wondrous scent of excitement and jubilation from people and birds alike, that was probably one of the best moment in my life – well aside for some future happiness.

In the wake of the crowd, sometimes I just wanted to enjoy myself and be free out of my mischievous mind that continuously injected into my head, a series of random calculation and probability on what could I alter to make the circumstances became more.. Let's just say- exciting.

After Mom and Dad immersed into the crowds with Uncle Rafael, I knew that tonight would be a blast, because not only I hyped for the festivities, it was also a perfect time to have "fun"; and with what I was saying as "fun" was something you might already guess. Bia and Frost was asking me to get Carla and bid her some of the greetings and supports before her big show. Frankly said, the idea bored me to the bone, so I declined their offer and instead, immersed into the crowd, searching for something that could spark my excitement from the heated Carnival.

Carnival only lasted once per year, and when others remarked that Carnival was the biggest celebration in the world, I guess I believe them, just looking at the massive crowd of humans, so enthusiastic with their dances and exotic outfits, not to mention the floats and the fireworks, cheers and thundering applauses, the music so-loud-it-almost-break-my-eardrum; so yeah, it was indeed the grandest celebration in the world.

I quickly fluttered into the edge, scanning the view below for the floats and dancing humans, Dad told me before about what happened during his first Carnival with Mom, and I have to admit that cheesy story had some quite decent material for my soul to ingest.

Growing up, probably the whole reason I started to tolerate more of them, while I still loathed them to be rubbed on my face (which is sometimes happened quite often) I valued them now and then. I mean- just seeing (sometimes) my sister having an romantic relationship with someone else put me into the brim of jealousy sometimes – because I think that having such relationship would be a blast, just caressing someone you loved with your wing… errr… why do I talk about this? Skip.

Okay, so we returned back to the celebration. My mind was amazed and enchanted with the pulsing light from the floats and humans below, the noise started to overload my input device, overflowing the neuron system with a rush called excitement (I've got to thank Bia for that vocabulary).

My stomach however didn't sync with the excitement that currently spawned into my soul, the low energy reserves from the void in my belly succumbed me into the state called hunger, otherwise, I would past out before the main event started. It didn't take so much time to spot the pile of assorted fruit in the center of the crowds, where several birds already dug their beak into their respectable meal; I unfurled my wing and rapidly closing the distance between me and the table, eying the delicious-looking strawberry on the table.

Alas, someone else managed to snatch them before I could reach the table, and left me with a sigh to puff out of my lungs. I scanned the other options available, the round-and-chocolate husk was my eyes main priority tonight, and so I set my dinner course with a nut – bad pun, I know.

The effort to crack open the shell was almost drenched me with a lot of sweat – even it's not biologically possible – and after the fifth attempt to split it open with my beak, the chasm was formed and easing my continuity effort to open it in a half, revealing the golden-brown tasty goodness inside. I immediately dug my beak and savor the nuts in my taste buds, two seconds later, my face already donned with grimace.

I didn't know how that nut could tasted so horrid, I mean- even if you compared the "ordinary" one in the Amazon with this, it's like heaven and earth. The fate of the nuts was predictable; quickly I ditched them into the ground while I drank greedily the water source nearby to wipe away the horrible taste out of my beak.

I clenched my beak and swallow the water rather quickly to spare the fleeting after-taste from the nut. My eyes once more scrutinized the other meals accessible, and set myself to a safer alternative, a mango instead. Delighted, I let out a sigh of exhilaration and swallowed the juice with a satisfying gulp before resuming my attack on the fruit.

To be honest, I didn't have anything to think that night aside from just enjoying the celebration – I know it may seems like a miracle that I don't think about pranks- but bear with me that I honestly didn't that moment, mainly because I was just eager to enjoy the night with my eyes rather than with my beak, plus with Carla performance, I knew something awesome might be happening.

But my insidious and mischievous mind still turning its gear to scan for any opportunity where I could plant my devious plan to gain some more thrill from the festivities, but the lack of enthusiasm from my soul terminated them or perhaps simply suppressed their suggestion from injected into my consciousness, hence I simply enjoyed the night.

It didn't last long though the moment my eyes caught a glimpse of cobalt and white in the midst of the crowd. The first impression I got was probably perplexed, I mean- Miguel, by standards, was actually Frost in a harpy eagle's body, with some exception that he was _more_ nervous, speaking in Spanish and having more adventurous spirit than Frost, the rest… well, they are basically twins; And again with the fact that he was here, in the crowded celebration, walking… I don't know what was snapped him to join in the first place.

Ignoring my thought and rapidly reduced the fruit into naked seed, I quickly fluttered to Miguel after I ditched the seed with calculated throw, ensuring it would land on a place where no one was present to greet it. It took me more time to reach him than what I was expecting thanks to the waxing crowd, and greet him, "Hey, Miguel!"

He turned his head to see me and quickly his beak formed a smile. "Oh, hey there, Tiago."

"You came here huh? I thought you don't like crowds."

His face quickly dampened, although I could notice that he tried to mask it. "Oh, yeah… uhm… I guess not a single bird wants to miss the Carnival." He stated, faking a smile.

I snorted a laugh. "If you aren't comfortable then you can always tell the truth, Miguel," I then added. "You seem so nervous; I bet everyone will notice that."

He then sighed in defeat. "I know I always been that obvious am I? I don't like it here. It's too crowd and noisy, but I don't want to make my parents worry about me when they have their performance, so yeah… I guess I don't have a choice."

 _Perhaps what you need is some help to brighten the mood, I guess I will be bored too if I stay on this level of "excitement"._ I mused.

"Hey, tell me what, do you want to get something to do tonight? I think we can do something together to cease the boredom, perhaps pulling some stories of yours or pranks will be nice. What do you say?"

He looked hesitated. "Well, you see- I told my parents that I will stay here… they will look after me if I just disappear into thin air, perhaps I'll stay here."

I wrinkled my eyebrows. "Oh come on! It's Carnival! We should enjoy it, Miguel. I think your parents will be just fine, besides you aren't that small anymore, I mean- how old are you now?"

"Seven years old."

"Well, that's pretty old to me… Come on, we can do something rather than just stay in here… it will be so much fun now, what do you say, _amigo_?"

His face showed me a pondering that currently happening inside his head, but it didn't last until finally he beckoned his head to agree. "Okay, perhaps some time won't hurt, so what we are going to do?"

"Well, I don't exactly have anything in my mind, how about you? Do you have something running in your head?"

"No," he replied, "Not exactly."

I frowned and quickly brought my mind to find the ingredients to boost the fun level, and… it failed. I couldn't come up with a better solution on what should I do with him, not to mention my list of jokes was probably started to get old, besides, I was thinking to find something more "extraordinary", perhaps doing something usual but more complicated and amusing.

I kept my eyes opened until I froze and stared at the abundance puddle of red sticky juice in the middle of the celebration, and my mind started to racing rapidly; doing a mental calculation and a series of events on how the prank would be pulled, and the corner of my beak started to risen up as the devious prank finally made inside my head with a vivid blueprint for my next action. "I think I know what to do."

* * *

If you say that planning a prank is something useless, then you probably right. The main reason I do this because I didn't want to disappoint Miguel after I managed to persuade him in doing something beyond his usual activity. Plus, the addition of companionship from him made me wanted to impress him with my mind, something that came up quite randomly tonight as I wasn't planning to put a prank before, and now I already involved myself inside it once more.

After a series of calculation, placement and finalizing, I smiled at my own creativity in front of me. Let me explain the prank, first, we got some easily-break vines concealed by the leaves and dust above, the series of that vines were connected with the shell that filled of red-sticky juice up there, and the last one would be the usage of some feathers I snatched from the performer's outfit down there (which involved a lot of scream when Miguel trying to grab them) and covered them with the multi-colored feathers.

The problem was, setting the feathers to quickly be pulled with the gravity wasn't easy, and I was desperately required for Bia's assistances for this particular problem. I pondered quite a while on the placement of the last components that would surely add the laugh on the gag. It took me several trial-and-errors before I finally realized how easy that was to put the feather straight, and instantly get back to my creation.

My soul was tickled with the kind of amusement this prank would bring until I didn't realize that I already stepped on one of the concealed vines. I could see Miguel eyes widened the moment I stepped on the vine and heard the snapping noise underneath me. Turns out, the placement of the feathers was supposedly the least of my concern, the string that hold the shell wasn't sturdy enough to endure the tension of the jolting vibration sent from the snapping vine, and therefore, my world tumbled into chaos of red – of sticky ooze.

I was covered completely with the repulsive juice, the moment I dared to open my eyes, the dripping gunk slowly form a river down into my knee before puddling up on the ground. I soon realized that the accident involuntary succeeded in soaking some other birds nearby with the same stain that covered my body. The sight quickly brought a laugh inside my soul.

I soon realized a vigorous laugh that resonated into my eardrum; Miguel was laughing his heart content, and his likeable-laugh was infectious.

We both shared the laugh while trying to act innocent in front of the birds that currently scolding in Portuguese as they flew away from the "crime scene", shaking their bodies to send the juice away from their body.

My laughter, however, didn't last too long as the repulsive substances that covered my body started to get _real_ unbearable, but yet Miguel laugh showed any sign to desist. "You really like this prank huh? "

He crossed his wing across his belly and kept laughing, tears rolling down his white plumage. "Yeah! It was really funny!"

I suppose my prank could be so amusing, but I didn't think this prank was _that_ amusing, and to my disbelief, he added. "I mean look at _you_! You look ridiculous with that _red juice on your blue plumage! It's just too rich!_ "

 _Wait… did he… did he just laughing at me? I know that my jokes are funny but did he laugh because of me? He laughed at me? Unbelievable._

My smile rapidly ceased and replaced itself with a frown, feeling a surge of heat rapidly engulfing my body, the emotion called anger and shame. I didn't laugh… I didn't laugh at all, it's like having someone you trust to spend your time with and in the end, they just slapped you to the face. It's harsh and I loathed it a lot. Miguel was still too caught up with his laugh until he didn't see the altered demeanor I was having.

It didn't last until his laugh reduced into minor hiccup and finally he registered my damped face – well not from the juice, "Something wrong?" He baffled.

I wiped the juice from my face before replying. "No, everything is fine." I told him; even my voice was obvious filled with sarcasm.

He didn't take the clue and simple smile once more, it gave me a stab because I my emotion biased my thought that he tried to taunt me. I mean- while I do know if I managed to get ourselves into a fight, I wouldn't stand a chance against him, mainly because I had a disadvantages with my sticky coated plumage, and the fact that he is a _harpy eagle_ , the same species that tore a scar in Frost's face.

Donned with a mask, I returned his smile, forcing myself to ignore the stinging pain and rage within my soul. Then again, I was too naïve when I believed that all birds could be trusted. Miguel however, started to feel the anger that radiated from my soul, perhaps because my mask was cracked soon after and revealed my true emotion.

He looked at me guiltily as if he was doing something beyond unforgivable, but before any words could escape the prison of his beak, something else interjected. " _¡Ah, ahí tiene!_ "

Miguel rotated his head and quickly found himself face to face with his father, and by the looks of it, he wasn't content. " _¡Papá!_ "

" _¿Te dije que te quedaras? ¡Tu mamá está muy preocupada por ti!_ " **[Did I tell you to stay? Your Mom is worried sick about you!]**

" _Lo siento, Papá_ " He scratched the ground with his talon. **[I'm sorry, Dad.]**

"¿ _De todos modos, ¿qué estás haciendo?_ " **[What are you doing anyway?]**

" _Estábamos jugando, es Carnaval, entonces pensé que..._ " **[Tiago and I were doing some fun, it's Carnival so I thought…]**

I was completely out from their alien language conversation, and quite intimidated when César directed his vision at me with the kind of looks I remembered from the Amazon. The expression crumbled soon after and replaced with befuddle and promptly asking me. " _Dios mío_! What happened to you?" **[Oh, my!]**

I tried to devoid myself from my agitated nerve, but the efforts taking too much toll on me, barely I could contain myself from bursting up. "Oh, it's just an accident, I dropped my drink accidentally."

I fathom that Miguel might be get some trouble if I ever told his father that we were planning a prank, and Miguel's face already shot me with an apologetic one, saying mutely. "I'm sorry."

"You sure he wasn't the reason of this right? I mean if Miguel was the…"

"No no no César, no, he wasn't. I'm just clumsy enough to get my drink spilled." I faked.

César was looking at me momentarily until his warm smile returned to his face. "Well in that case, be careful next time, Tiago! There's a pond near here you might use a bath place." He stated, pointing south with his primaries.

"I'll get there, César. Thanks for the information."

He nodded his head. " _Ok, nos vamos."_ **[Okay, now off we go]**

Miguel and César's departure allowed me to release the true emotion that lingered inside my soul, the presentation of humiliation and frustration I bore with a frown expression pasted firmly on my beak. The celebration noises were muffled in my ears, their intensity lowered a few decibels as my infuriation started to get the best of me. I sighed in defeat and pondering over the recent event that brought a gloom to my mood. Friends were supposedly to laugh _with_ you not _at_ you, or perhaps… I was too sensitive this time?

I mean, I never been known how it felt to be the _victim_ of pranks, well- let's just say that I did ever get myself into one from my peers, but they were laughing with me, not at me. I'd just known Miguel for roughly two days, that was perhaps the reason why I got my heart stabbed when he laughed with (or at) me.

I rolled my eyeballs to spot anything that could cheer me up, but nonetheless, I was doomed with the damped mood for the rest of the night. Miguel's laugh echoing inside my eardrum, resonated a vibration down to my spine and taunting my brain. Nothing much I could do with this, only unsolved distress possessing my soul.

It was also when the voice that belonged to my Mom snapped me out of my trance. "What?! What happened to you?"

I rotated my head and saw two pairs of eyes asking for explanation over my juice-coated situation. "Oh hi Mom, Dad." I replied plainly.

"Tiago Gunderson! Explain this." Mom remarked. "What happened to you?"

I sighed internally and donned myself with a smile. "Let's just say that I got inside my own prank." I replied huskily. "Yeah… it didn't work so well."

Mom and Dad was struggling to contain their laughter and failed altogether when Mom stifled a small laugh that infected us all, it was sincere laugh, something was different from Miguel's. I suppose, because I knew that my family would not laugh at to me.

"Taste your own medicine eh, little bird?" Mom quipped.

I still drenched within the laugh, mended some of the walls that crumbled inside my mood when a mischievous plan injected once more into my brain and my beak possessed a sly smile. "Mom, I need a HUG."

Mom was caught up on surprise the moment I lunged towards her and sent the juice in my plumage to her, stained his blue cerulean feathers with red stain. Dad's eyes were shrunk into pinpoints the moment he realized that I already prepared myself to make him my next victim. Amusing as it seems, Dad was running as fast as he could, while I gleefully chasing him with all of my speed. It wasn't last more than one minutes as Dad stumbled himself onto the ground, sealed his eyes tightly when he saw me lunged onto his spongy belly.

The fair amount of red-colored juice was now coated his blue plumage, the time with my family was filled my soul with jubilation, and eradicated my earlier distress with ease. The kind of occasion struck me with hindsight, that my family was the most genuine one. That said, I formed the series of words of my love for them. "I love you Mom, Dad."

Mom looked surprised the moment I uttered my words to them, her demeanor softened and replied with her silky voice. "Love you too, Tiago." She enveloped me with her wing and nuzzled my head.

"Mom, can we do this later, I mean…"

"Nope!" She interjected. "This is what you want, right?" and she tighten her hug.

When you face the love of your parents, the moment they are shameless to show just how significant your presence within their life, I'll say that you will bow to the majestic fire of their love and that's what happened to me tonight, the kind of radiance, so powerful and regal until I could only oblige to enjoy its radiant. I nuzzled to my Mom's soft chest, enjoying her bubble of warm love for me, consoling every diluted aspect that weakened from the stress I gained.

I do know that one day I need to face this world alone, and when that time came, I will always treasure them inside my heart, for them I existed in this world, for them I grow with happiness and carefree.

Mom was releasing me after a while, I tried to suck up my tears, masking my demeanor into a cheerful one, albeit the burst of emotion was started to shroud me. "I really need that Mom, thanks a lot, love you."

Tears slowly rolling down her pretty face, I couldn't face it, I wouldn't stand a chance to keep containing the bursting emotion inside my heart. "I'm going to wash this gunk away from me, see ya later!" I declared, quickly left them before I spilled my salty tears.

I hastily get myself out of the thundering festivities, heading straight to some quiet place to calm my mixed emotion that currently raged inside my heart and soul. Regrettably, I stumbled upon someone… it was Miguel.

He was surprised the moment he saw me bumping into him, and his face rapidly filled with shame. I, however, didn't give him any chance to talk and immersed myself into the crowd. The sticky sensation in my plumages had evolved into crust, and it got me even more unbearable sensation. It was then when I recalled César remark about the pond south from here.

Landed on the tranquil pond was something I required that night, I sighed in exhalation and bring myself to the reflective surface of the water… and I couldn't contain my laugh soon after. I finally realized why Miguel was laughing so heartily before, the blotches on my face were indeed priceless, and a moment later I quickly regretted my anger towards him.

Something snapped inside of me, the kind of epiphany I gained tonight, the one that I would always been remembered for the continuity of my life. For almost my lifetime "prank-experiences" I never bring myself to ask, or even ponder about someone else feelings with my pranks- the main reason was probably they always laughed, they always took my pranks with open wing, even sometimes I knew that I crossed a line.

And to experience the kind of thing myself tonight was indeed something I required to understand- that I wasn't that young anymore… plus, understanding and respected others, and get the respect reciprocated to me was essential.

While I do know that my prank-side will never left me alone, but to control or even took some of the others pranks would be included into my consideration list right now. I stared again into the pond and keep the smile on my beak, the red circle in my eyes looked like someone just punched me fair and square in the face and the crimson color also clashes badly with the color of my plumage. If I laughed at myself, I guess it would be a sin if I prohibit someone else to do so.

I walked away from the pond unwashed, even with the crusty and heated sensation _blessed_ upon my body; I treasured them as a token of friendship, in hope to get reconciliation with Miguel. Immersed back into the crowd, Uncle Nico and Pedro were announcing the next performer on stage. "Now! Let's welcome César and Selena!"

I glued my eyes on the stage and saw the two eccentric harpy eagles started their dance, it didn't last long though as my first and foremost exodus was to find Miguel and asking for apologies, mending the fences I just broke with him. Spotting him, however, wasn't as easy as it sound, mainly because the endless stream of birds and confetti obstructed my view, also the fact that he wasn't the only one harpy eagle around was adding the difficulties in my search.

I tried myself to hover into the air, but with the suffocating crowds around me, I couldn't just open my wings and flapped them sans the stern stare from some birds. So essentially, I was doomed to find him with my talon on the ground. The search wasn't easy, the cheering from the crowds probably already altered my hearing senses a few decibels down, but it was Carnival, and I was the one who made the scene anyway, so I couldn't blame them… _completely._

My _perilous_ quest finally find its objective the moment I recognize the face of the meek harpy eagles that once more filled with unease from the horde. I waste no time and carved my way into him. "Hey there buddy!" I exclaimed. "Enjoying the Carnival?"

Miguel let out a startling screech that raised my feathers the moment it reached my ears, while he might look harmless, he was still a harpy eagle… sometimes I just forgot that we were natural enemies, but their friendliness towards us sprouting the seedling of the odd friendship- but hey, friendship is magic, it knows no bound.

I calmed myself and walked towards him while he shied away from me. His face was filled with shame and regret, a kind of trait that involuntary told me that he was sincere, that he didn't laugh at me on purpose. I masked my face as nothing had happened. "Hey, sorry to scare you… I didn't mean to do that," I chuckled. "By the way, your parents did a thriving job with their dance."

Miguel was perplexed with my attitude, well- to be honest, I will confused too with my own randomness feelings. Nonetheless, I presumed that he still had the issue to be resolved, and quickly my assumption transformed into reality when he finally opened his beak. "Tiago… I'm sorry… I didn't mean to laugh at you…"

I suppose some issues are inevitable to be left unresolved; you can't just act like nothing is happening and hoped them to vanish into thin air. I sighed. "Yeah… about that… I think I also owe you an apology."

"How so? I'm the one who laughing at you, I thought you won't get offended or something… well-"

"Trust me, I should have done that." I interjected. "But rather… well… let's just say that I was too lost seeing other 'tormented' with my pranks until sometimes I didn't realize that my pranks could hurt that much…"

Miguel tilted his head and replied. "You are one weird macaw, Tiago."

 _Ww… What?_

"I mean in a good way, you are different… somehow… fun and amusing as a friend. My other friends just usually interested in race and other competitive stuffs, well- I don't like it… I mean, it's like our friendship is based on rivalry only, there is no significant bond."

"But you are different, and that's why I called you weird… just look at you! You didn't even wash your feathers!"

I laughed heartily. "Yeah, the moment I saw myself on the pond I couldn't bring down my masterpiece." I remarked. "It is the most funniest things my pranks have ever done to someone so far… even thought the prospect of me being the victim itself never crossed my mind."

Miguel's demeanor started to softened and his beak returned to possess a smile. " _Você é um amigo muito bom_ , Tiago. I think I'm glad that I met someone like you, someone that gave me another perspective of life." **[You are a very good friend, Tiago]**

"Wait! You can speak Portuguese?" I baffled.

"I thought I've told you before about it…" He stated, looking at me confusingly. "Even I can't speak really well…"

I beamed. "That's awesome! You can speak three languages! Wow!"

He looked at me humbly. "Oh I wouldn't get that far… I mean I couldn't learn all of them easily, plus I think my English is still rather horrid."

I chuckled, but before I could spill any more words, Uncle Nico voice resonated into my eardrum and registered the finishing performance of his parents. "Well I didn't get a chance to see them until finish…"

"Well, I guess you can always go back to Rio next year, they will perform again for sure."

"But next year is wayyyyy tooooo long." I stated.

He simply chuckled. "Yeah, I know your torture, that's why I won't missed your sister performance."

I shot him a sly look. "Any particular reason perhaps? I mean, you never heard her singing before… yeah, you never heard it…"

Miguel was flushed with embarrassment. "Well… that's why I want to hear it… My parents make it so good… so…"

"Yeah, sure it is. The same reason with Frost the first time he saw Bia." I chuckled. "Even I must say… a harpy eagle and a macaw don't add up…"

Miguel rolled his eyes and drawing his sight away from me. "Oh come on! I'm just kidding." I beamed. "I think Carla's performance will be next."

As on cue, Uncle Nico and Pedro instantly announced the grand finale of the Carnival that day. "And now, the moment we have been waiting for, _por pavor, Carla!_ " **[Please, Carla]**

The crowd was exploding with adoration and cheers, the heated Carnival was only middle-way to be declared as finished for _today_ – yes, the Carnival lasted five days in here, and so for the next four days, our days would be filled with jubilation and cheers; even some occasion might happened on a bizarre timing, the truth is, no matter what- perhaps in some place, epiphany might struck you in the place you least expected.

And for such experience told me one thing, not only cheers and laugh we need to treasure, it was the kindled fire of friendship that truly is, the treasure I gained.

* * *

 ** _A/N : Another cheesy chapter I know... but I can't just terminate this story with abrupt ending, even with the last fragment of my idea left for this story, I will finish it._**

 ** _and so, there it is, we only have one... two... three... perhaps three chapter more before Winter's Summer officially ends, and good news for you who like this saga, I have one to replace it! and it will be completely only focused on Bia and Frost, plus rating raise to either T or M (Albeit I need to assure you that I have no interest in writing a lemon)._**

 ** _I think that's all, thanks for reading and don't forget to leave a review here!_**

 **I  
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	17. Carnival Sonata: Cendrawasih

Chapter 17  
Carnival Sonata: Cendrawasih

~Carla~

Passion is a virtue?

Maybe yes, maybe not, but for me, passion is indeed a virtue. My fondness over the things that composed from multiple pitches in the sound waves, on how they created such harmony from seemingly random intertwined noise, but in the end, what people called as "music", simply one of the greatest creation this world could offer to me.

On how they worked isn't necessarily important to me, such trivial details isn't going to alter the kind of tunes they are having, as enchanted as they are, they will always find a way to assimilate you into their realm. And so that's what happened to me. Music already become my passion since I was a chick, the first time I accidentally heard a catchy Samba music from the TV, and it seeped into my soul, even my taste isn't really at Samba.

And so my life has altered into something new. Music is an integral part in my life, as like the oxygen I kept inhaling to live, or in this case, music becomes my second oxygen, never one day I believe I will survive without listening to it, and to think such terrific scenario bring a shudder to my body.

For once I never knew on just how far my obsession would be- I mean, for some people, their hobbies sometimes not really what they will do one day, even the talented on drawing and singing or whatever else, chances are ranging from 10 – 20% for the occurrence of their hobbies become their main "job" – in human terms, or perhaps, become their main purpose of life, their paramount quest to be fulfilled.

For such passion that ignited inside my soul for this case, an artistic-aesthetic design that implemented in the form of sound waves, the pitches, the amplitudes, the tempos, and so many other aspects that composed it, on just how hard it is the creation of it, but also on how simple they are to include those who lend their ears and being intoxicated within its grasp. The passion is burning intensely, it gave me meaning, it gave me a reassurance, and it gave me a destiny I can look upon with such vividness. Albeit for humans, reality might seem a little different.

The main thing is for human, they didn't get much of the freedom like I do- I mean, count a number of person when their hobbies finally become a reality without so many efforts they had to endure- count how many human getting strangulated because they put all of themselves inside their passion and finally deteriorate when the world started to gained a brighter star to replace them… and so, what is the meaning of passion then? If the revelation spoke something irrevocably as how such fate can exist in one's life should they decide to venture into this path? A path of uncertainty where wagering is the only salvation, the only hope?

I suppose, it is a matter on how you see the world, as the passion itself, it merely an option either to take it or leave it forever without ever turn back. Even it is a somberness for someone to ignore his/her internal call for the sake of a much brighter future rather than just temporary jubilation over some peoples that praised you, until one day you will realize that it was nothing more than a mere words, slowly disintegrating as your glow started to weaken.

Here in the name of passion, sometimes dilemma get the best of you, you have the ability to make something great- something powerful that brought you happiness, but the moment reality said "No", we are rendered powerless. There is now way to escape its clutches sans gambling over fate, but then again, there is a tiny light in this particular case, a much grander version of what passion truly are, the quintessential things called happiness and freedom.

On how to see the essence and hindsight that planted inside a certain situation, one's must redefine their own perception, instead of using a single lens that saturated on how you see, hear and finally developed a certain understatement about world. For me? I'm seeing the world with the lenses of artistic views, such birds like Bia with the lenses of logics and calculations, or someone like Tiago that sees the world as a playground… that is how unique a perspective is, on how very varitype they are when you pay attention to them, and stroking their brush the world with more vibrant color than it truly is.

Epiphany might be nearby for someone who dared to take the least-travelled-road and seeking the thrill from itself – which is ominous sometimes – but in respect for the ultimate rewards of happiness and liberty- I think that's worth a shot and I believe that choosing to listen to your heart rather than your head sometimes isn't as bad as it sounds – while the vagueness is indeed inevitable – at least, for one matter, it is the journey to listen and find the treasure we are seeking for is matter, in the end, the treasure merely a gift, merely a trinket to remember what we've been through on this cold, dusty road.

And such experiences we gained are truly irreplaceable, not matter how many diamonds or shimmering pearls you might have, the experiences are much more supreme than them, for one's perception and wisdom are shaped from their life, their journey in this fanatic world…

While I do understand the sense of security is the most important thing, on how to survive the world and see another sunrise, even sometimes I just wondered if it is the right thing for people to ignore the dreams they have, casting them away into the abyss and never return to see it anymore… such act can be classified as denial over oneself… or perhaps not, maybe not, as I use my bias to state it- there is one question though, on what is the right way to perceive the reality… to become naïve and pursue the dream? Or to become senseless and let the reality shackles you into the ground forever?

Well, I don't know… my way of thinking hasn't yet reached the tier where I can fathom such ambiguous question without diluting any other aspect, or perhaps to use all the considerations into the decision-making process sans hesitancy. Mainly because I was still too young for it… there is a long road expanded in front of me yet I've explored, but for me, I deceive over the reality and let my passion guide my way.

And I suppose that's the reason why the phrase "Wise beyond his/her years" is rarely used.

* * *

The nervousness once again flew into my nerve's system the moment my eardrum caught the muffled noise from the heated festivities out there. My heart was racing faster than usual and my mind was incredibly anxious from the upcoming performance. Uncle Nico and Pedro already reassured me that I was going to rock the Carnival real hard, and while such words gave me a little encouragement, the noise from out there – massive as they would be – diluting the once confidence that firmly etched inside my soul.

There was nothing that I could do except keep practicing over my singing, but with the overflowing anxiety currently streaming inside my soul, I didn't know if I would manage to create my performance as best as I could do. In fact, just thinking about the havocs that might happen already lessened my once jubilated mood when told me that they included me inside the Carnival's main performance.

The thing is, when you are included inside a grand performance of your long-life passions, there are a lot of pressure squeezing around you, while mostly people will stay calm and say nothing to you, the pressure from yourself alone enough to make you implode when they started to get the best of you, and that night, I was claimed by that emotion.

My thought was racing over the series of worst-case-scenarios that might happened to me during my critical performance ranging from trivial mistune to the more serious state where I couldn't find my voice… and that almost broke me.

Thankfully enough that my sister came to visit and dissipated some of the doubt away, even her words didn't disintegrated the kind of distress I had instantly, at least, she helped me to stay sane and prepared during one of the most important moments in my life.

Their departure filled me with silence once more, and the with Bia and Frost's words echoing in my ear, the once nervous-infused emotion suppressed a little bit and let me to sigh in exhilaration, and returned back into my practice. The song itself wasn't as hard, mainly because I already sung it for almost my entire lifetime – okay perhaps I was exaggerating… perhaps since I listened to that song more than I can count myself… Ugh! You get the point.

And to perform such song wasn't necessarily hard, except for so many tangled tunes that existed from the chorus and the second verse, not to mention a little crescendo I need to include in order to make the song more enchanting and also the hardest part of all, the overtone.

It wasn't something new for a song to include overtone in order to enrich the main melody, or simply blasted the last chorus or verse in order to make the song memorable, and in my opinion alone, it was indeed a true aesthetic-blueprint, and for so many songs that included them, some of them indeed left a resonated vibe inside my head since I listened to them.

But to execute it in the real life environment wasn't as easy as they sound. It required a lot of practice to just overtone the song without mislead or run away from the base melody (this case is to tune the song precisely one key), and for some song that possessed a high pitch already as their base tune, the overtone will show its true identity.

That's why I need to keep practicing over my song and let no mistakes shattered the kind of dream that will likely to misted the effort I put myself into this, into the passion I was having, and to become the star I always wanted, shinning the brightest when I finally reached my dream to sing for my life.

Talented or not, I always spent my leisure time on singing the kind of song existed inside my iPod's playlist (and I'd got to thank Fernando for the effort to include all of them) and grew a fondness over some human singers like Katy Perry, Owl City, Coldplay, Taylor Swift, and so many more that my mind sometimes overflowing with the enormous number of amazing human singers that created those awesome songs, and to be honest myself, I want to share their dream, share their passion, share the kind of excitement, praise, adoration as well as the emotional burst that colored their respective unique songs from their own style.

Music is like a candy, sweet and addicting at the same time – while in the bright side provide not a single threat – and it kept me happy, it kept me free out of stress, out of the pressure from the senseless reality; the realm when I could create a stroke of fireworks display inside my head sans disturbing others, and to be drenched inside the world of music itself already was a very amazing experience.

Have you ever got yourself lost inside music? Where the world around you tinted with a lot of saturation over something that wasn't truly existed? When your heart was beating faster than usual as the beats started to seize your control? When the blasts from the chorus make your head bobbed uncontrollably? When the intoxicating tunes dwelled inside your head until you started to pick the right pitch in your own vocal cord?

There is one big not-so-secret about artistic work, and I suppose, it is a matter on how serious, how strong you want to put a fragment of your soul into it, and with such might able to gain control over other peoples that willing to listen or see or enjoy your works, appreciated them and finally endorsed it to another people, the start of one's magical career on the creative world.

But for the chances are quite low, aside from so many aspect you won't understand. The main thing, like I said, merely a perspective problem, what do you think as "best" isn't necessarily "best" for another people, even when you basically exhausted from trying, even when you are virtually reduced to bones by just giving everything you got inside your work… but yet the world pass it without even giving a glance?

On just how tragic – or rather ironic – how those who choose this road, hoping for so much adoration and praise, but yet, only received a kind of cold shoulder from the world... as gambling really is the only way to keep having hope over the next work you do will get a better reception – which is not really true – but then, it's returned to the former, only gambling that the world will notice you.

But for some reason, when you keep the quality of your passion, the kind of adamancy you maintained in every work you do- I believe that peoples won't close their eyes forever, they will finally see the kind of effort you've put into your work, the pieces of souls you embedded within the creation of your creative mind, and finally… adorations, praises, compliments… will surely reached you soon.

However, if that's really what you wanted, to put your soul in sole purpose to lift your head into the clouds with esteem and praise… you literally lost the meaning of what passion truly is.

I mean like this, when peoples said that "you are amazing, your song is awesome" and the next day, those peoples never returned… compared with when you saw someone enjoy your work- even cry when they feel the kind of passion harbored that you embedded inside… even they spoke no words- I believe you know the answer, and to ask yourself what is your purpose… is a quest of your own.

* * *

"Carla, are you ready? Your performance will be next after César and Selena," Uncle Nico stated. "Prepare yourself kiddo; I know you can do it."

I shot him a nervous look, but smile nonetheless. "I'll try my best for this… this is my night, and I will rock it until the world crumbled."

Uncle Nico was chuckling lightly. "Sure you will, Carla. There is no doubt in it." He then added. "Although, I need to say something… just be yourself, be your own soul. You are Carla, you are not someone else, remember that."

I nodded my head twice and returned to my singing, refining the tune in my vocal cord as well as reminded myself over the part where I need to improve.

The practice really took toll on me as I started to get really tired and bored. I moved over the curtain when Uncle Nico declared loudly the performance of César and Selena.

I popped my head a little from the backstage and saw the two eccentric eagles started their dance. I never knew the kind of dance they were having, it's more coordinated compared to the one I saw in the Samba dance, while the movements themselves were hinted a thick traditional moves, and to somehow use Samba as their music was incredibly miraculous to me.

César and Selena were tip-toeing from one spot to another with perfect synchronization, while occasionally escalated their movement into a fast paced one before returned to the tip-toeing movements and began the next part of their dance. I was quite intrigued on the style from the dance, as my mind keep insisted that I had saw them somewhere, but unable to get a lucid picture on where or when I saw it.

Their graceful moves attracted the interest of the crowds, who cheered occasionally when they did some amazing stunts such as César holding Selena with his right wing while he balanced himself with his left talon only- or the other one when César and Selena gracefully spinning in the sky while keep their wings tangled with each other… and to be honest, I was starting to like the performance myself.

Alas, the thought to prepare myself once more resurfaced and smack me quite hard the moment my eyes realized on just how many the pair of eyes that stared into their performance and my heart hastily felt a surge of anxiety, once again pumped into my blood vessel for my entire body to register.

I inhaled a couple of deep breaths while exhaling them softly to calm the kind of agitation possessed my soul, even the actual effort only dissipated a small dose of the said injection, but thankfully, it stayed within the state where my mind was prepared to face the crowd.

I retreated back into the deeper section of the backstage and prepared myself one more time, hitting the play button in my iPod and listened to the song I was going to perform one last time before my curtain call, and soon to be drenched inside the sea of melodies and tunes once more, igniting the kind of triumph passion I required the most for my act…

My brain was muted for the last couple of minutes for almost the duration of the song, instead, my heart was doing all the job of memorizing each parts; each tunes; each crescendos that existed within the song.

Jittery started to fill me with greater intensity the moment Uncle Nico reached my room and nudged me back into the reality. Setting the earphones aside and followed my Uncle escort to the performer queue… even I was the only one standing there….

There was a cocktail of mixed feelings being quenched into my soul, its ingredients that would likely to create a havoc and distortion in my performance: anxiety, happiness, nausea, afraid, triumph… and many other things that filled me… mostly angst….

The dreading moment finally came into reality when I saw César and Selena bowed humbly and retreated towards the backstage, smiling at me within their panted breath from their taxing dance. "Good luck, Carla! Rock them."

I donned my face with a smile – a nervous smile – and initiating my mental for the biggest moment in my life… and my eyes widened a bit when Uncle Nico's voice broadcasting my performance into the crowd.

"And now, the moment we have been waiting for, _por favor, Carla!_ "

My blood run cold the moment his voice resonated into my eardrum, hammering with such decibels that seemed louder that it should be. I reluctantly walked outside the offstage, and greeted with loud thundering noise from the clapping and cheering alike…

My heart beating at its full pace the moment I saw just how massive the crowd was. There was indeed almost a hundred – maybe a thousand – pair of eyes averting their gaze directly towards me… a surge of panic filled my mind, and I was tempted to retreat back into the backstage, but before I could do anything, the tunes from my song reached my ears and started to calm me down… and finally enough to let me dwell inside the comfortable zone of my world- the world where tunes are swirls of color…

I cleared my voice as the cue from the waning intro registered inside my brain, I recounted each line of the lyrics from the song… performing a mental calculation about when I need to do what part necessarily to be addressed in there, but then again… when my brain administered enough of those catchy tunes… their significance evaporated.

When my mind finally submitted into the realm of my world, where the tunes came not from my brain's processing result, but instead, the guidance from my passion, my intuition that tempered from the passing time I'd spent inside my passion… singing the song started to show no effort whatsoever for me to do.

I started to sing the first verse of the song from one of the most favorite songs in my playlist, _When can I see you again?_ by Owl City.

I started to sing the first verse, vividly remembered every part of the song as my soul immersed with the tunes and trebles that emitted from the speakers and let my soul do the task to mouth the words into a series of pitches that started to form the song.

The chorus soon hit me after the first verse end; sparing me not a single second to think and let all the passion that engulfed my soul with their intense blaze took form on my voice. I dared not to open my eyes and kept myself inside the fantasy world of the vibrant and rich tunes, relying solely on my hearing senses to predict what happened with the crowd.

A burst of color existed in my eyes as the lyrics began to swallow my mind. I picked this song on purpose amongst other song available because on just how perfect the lyric was for the Carnival, on how it perfectly matched on what I was having in mind.

 _When can we do this again?_

I mean, Carnival is always claimed as one of the grandest festivities in the whole world, in addition over the fact that Carnival happened once a year brought the song into a new meaning, the question that I hope will sinking in inside the soul of the listener, on when can we do this again? When can we talk and laugh once more? On when can we be free as that night once more?

To me, such memorable events must be anchored with something. While humans tend to immortalize a moment with their sophisticated camera; preserving a memory in the form of photograph, that wasn't really an option for a bird- The reason why I wanted to make this song as an anchor, as the landmark of the jubilation that blanketed the soul of every attendees within the Carnival.

Some other cases might be on how the lyrics reflected over the contemplation that lingered inside my head, on to believe in passion and wager over fate- or simply ignore them… I suppose I leaned something either, an answer that might bring me one step closer into the answer of it, and while my thought leaning towards the passion, as on how the shaped the world, on how the managed to make this blatant world a bigger and colorful place.

I sang all of the part with my heart out, hearing the thunderous cheers erupted when the song stepped inside a temporary melody tangled, as I prepared myself to overtone the song.

I screamed my voice out, giving all the best I could muster in one single blow, and the effort show its result when I barely noticed a slight distortion within the my voice; satisfied, I dared to open my eyes and saw the crowds staring me in awe, some of them even started to sing alongside with me. Overpowered with the surge of raw happiness, I continued my song with my heart doing multiple somersaults.

The waning tone finally reached my ears and I quickly registered that my performance was a stroking success as the crowds erupted a volcanic-tier-magnitude of clapping and cheers over my performance. My heart was filled with delight, a velvety that lingered inside the instrument of love, and I couldn't contain my tears soon after.

I bowed humbly and jogged back into the backstage with my happiness-stained-tears face, forming the broadest smile I had ever had in my life as Uncle Nico and Pedro came to congratulate me. "Good job! Very good job! I know you can do it!"

"Yo girl! Dat was sick!" Uncle Pedro stated. "I believe you are a true star, Carla!"

I blushed and wiped my tears hastily. "Thanks a lot, Uncle Nico and Pedro." I stated and gave them a heartfelt hug.

"Yes… we know it… but please not too tight…" Uncle Nico stated.

I released my hug and hung my head in shame. "Sorry, I'm just so happy!"

He fixed the bottle cap "hat" and replies softly. "That's okay, right Pedro?"

"Man, you just get stronger each day! I don't know just how fast you already grow."

I chuckled. "Well, I still have a long time ahead."

Uncle Pedro nodded. "Indeed it is, gurl."

"Okay, perhaps you really wanted to meet your family right now. Let's find them; I suppose it will be a sin to hold you here much longer."

I nodded in agreement. "Okay, let's go."

My mind was still filled with the events that recently happened inside my timeline of life, and it returned me back into a deep contemplation.

I suppose, when we are faced with such question that the answer lies in the ambiguous section, where everything seems vague to be the best answer… There is indeed always a light in the darkness, a silver lining in the cloudy sky.

Even I will likely to face the harsh reality when I decided to immersed myself completely inside the internal call of my passion, I still believe one thing, that, even in the wake of the worst kind scenario where people finally gone and searched for another newfound stars, the one that seems promising a new things, I just need to understand one thing. It is to be yourself, to be original as you truly are what matters, as the sole purposes over passion in the first place is happiness. A feeling that will make all adorations and praises seems insignificant when induced with its spell.

And for such things, a passions that lived inside your soul truly, never deny them, never tell them to disappear, as the passions for countless people already saturated the world into a better place, a heavenly stokes on earth akin to the sight of a Cendrawasih.

* * *

 **A/N: Hospital ain't gonna stop me from writin' ha!**

 **Okay, I finally finished the last part of the Carnival Sonata, this is my thought when I decided to venture into the world of art, where such "bright future" never been existed (Or perhaps promised) in the first place, but for one who dared to gamble... I'll say the rewards are always been worthy and about the song... XD I don't know what is more fitting than that (Bad taste in music I know)**

 **and so, kudos for you who knows what a Cendrawasih is... oh, who am I kidding, Cendrawasih is also called as Bird-of-paradise.**

 **Thanks for your time here! and don't forget! Reviews!**


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